La Dolce Vita
by molly makeout
Summary: When Gabriella Montez visits Italy, the last thing she expects is to meet a gorgeous blue-eyed man who could quite possibly be her soul mate. It's a summer of unexpected surprises, blooming relationships, crazy adventures, and with the help of fate - love
1. New York

**Summary:** Best friends Sharpay Evans and Gabriella Montez spend a summer traveling across Italy, one of the most beautiful countries in Italy. It's a summer of unexpected surprises, blooming relationships, crazy adventures, and with the help of fate - love.

* * *

**Flight to Venice**

Shakespeare often once stated that love was blind.

According to Sharpay Evans, Upper Eastside's well-known bombshell and prima donna, a person would have to be legally blind to love Milton Heindick. Just as his name would imply, Milton wasn't exactly the most fortunate fellow in New York City. While his parents were loaded with cash, he was cursed with a horrible name, a lanky figure, and an unattractive face. As if those weren't turn-offs already, he had a severe case of acne that even the most expensive concealers could not hide.

Sharpay Evans personally could not stand him, but seeing as Vance Evans (or as she referred to him, "daddykins") was a business partner of Heindick Sr., it was like an unwritten rule between the two wealthy families that their children must get along. It was simple, really. Whenever the Heindicks or the Evans were around, the two faked their friendship. Behind closed doors, however, the two couldn't stand each other and quarreled every single second.

It didn't help that Milton had the most ginormous crush on her best friend since the two began their freshman year of high school, and for lack of a better word, borderline stalked her.

Gabriella Montez was Sharpay's lifelong best friend, and the only one who could deal with Sharpay's temper tantrums, her manipulative ways, and her superiority complex. The friendship started nearly thirteen years ago when a jealous four-year old Sharpay had bitten off the heads of all of Gabriella's barbies, possessing an acquisitive quality that adults deemed to be rather disturbing in a four-year old. Gabriella had retaliated by knocking over Sharpay's blocks, leaving Sharpay with no other choice than to tattle on Gabriella. As a result, the two had to spend their play-time in a corner on time-out until they understood the wrongness of their actions. Sometime in between that time, the two bonded, despite the apparant differences in their personalities. Much to the surprise of adults and their peers alike, the two remained best friends all throughout elementary, middle, and thus far - high school.

Unfortunately for Sharpay, Milton Heindick was only three yards away from Sharpay at the moment, seeing as he decided to tag along with her and Gabriella for their departure from John F. Kennedy Airport to Aeroporto di Venezia.

He wasn't coming _with_ them, literally; if that were the case, Sharpay would be seething with anger at the thought of having to see Milton anymore often than she had to.

Last month, Sharpay invited Gabriella to spend a month with her at her summer house in a town near Venice and the two had both booked flights for this afternoon. Milton insisted that he came along to bid Gabriella farewell, which Gabriella didn't feel was necessary whatsoever, but that was the thing with Milton - when he made up his mind, there was nothing anyone could do to stop him. Some might even argue that Milton posessed the same characteristics as Sharpay - he knew very well what he wanted, he _knew _how to get it, and no one could stop him.

On the other hand, Sharpay would most likely scoff if anyone would even _try _to compare her to Milton. In her opinion, she was much more _fabulous_, not as unattractive, and definitely not as desperate.

Sharpay struggled as she heaved her heavyweight carry-ons onto a metallic bench in the center of a terminal. Sharpay plopped down onto the seat soundly as she impatiently tapped her manicured index finger against the bench. She let out a hot breath of air as she relaxed into the surface of the bench, awaiting the time boarding passes for Flight 590 to Venice would begin to be accepted.

Gabriella effortlessly wheeled her suitcases to the bench, taking the seat next to her best friend and purposely placing her hobo bag on her other side to maximize the distance between herself and Milton, who took the liberty of sitting on Gabriella's other side. Gabriella resisted the urge to roll her eyes as Milton stared up at her in a daze.

"How am I gonna live without you..." Milton asked rhetorically in a shaky whisper, his hand reaching out to cup her cheek. Gabriella's fast reflexes allowed her to block his hand, pushing it back down to his lap where it came from.

"I'm sure you'll fair well without me, Milton," Gabriella stated dryly, avoiding his eyes as she pulled out her Blackberry to send a text message to her mother.

"I'll think of you every day!" Milton announced tearfully, pulling out his silky handkerchief and blowing profusely into it.

Rolling her eyes, Sharpay simply shook her head in disbelief, slapping her palm to her forehead. _What a loser... _She thought to herself as she chewed on her mint gum obnoxiously like a cow chewing on cud.

Milton placed the used hankey on Gabriella's lap, reaching out to pull another clean one to blow into. Gabriella felt the mixture of replulsion, guilt, and sorrow for the young, rich man who considered himself as her boyfriend. A _self-_proclaimed boyfriend, at that.

Needless to say, having Milton's mucusy tissue on her lap was disgusting beyond belief. Gabriella stood up, letting the tissue fall to the ground.

Gabriella tried her best to be nice to everyone and be as least judgmental as she could possibly be, but was nearly impossible with someone like Milton who never took no for an answer. Sure, she felt guilty when he expressed his emotions for her so freely, but then again, she never showed the slightest bit of interest in him nor did she reciprocate his feelings.

"You need to call me every single day Gabriella!" croaked Milton, his voice nasally and unnatural. "Send me lots and lots of postcards and letters! Buy me a souvenir while you're at it. Just... _anything,"_ He turned to Gabriella, squeezing her wrist so tightly that she could feel her blood coil. "I'll - I'll be counting down every single day that we're apart!"

"Milton," Gabriella began, finally gaining the courage to tell him off before he could continue any further. "When I told you we could be _friends_, I didn't mean that-"

Sniffling, he cut her off. "Maybe I should book myself a flight to Venice, too! Only because I know you can't stand to be away from me nearly as much as I can't stand not having you with me!"

The assurance in his voice when he stated that he would come out to Italy just to see her made Gabriella so uncomfortable that she shouted instantaneously. "No!"

Sharpay snickered, dwelling in amusement. Gabriella turned her head to glare at her best friend, silently informing her that the matter at hand was certainly _not _something to laugh about.

"You wouldn't mind if I just jump into your luggage and come along with you, would ya?" Milton asked, his hazel eyes staring up at Gabriella's brown eyes longingly. He meant it as a joke, but honestly, he was skinny, most likely weighed less than Sharpay, and only an inch taller than Gabriella. And considering that Gabriella was pretty short to begin with, he was the size of a dwarf compared to most guys his age.

Gabriella groaned inwardly, beginning to wonder why she ever agreed to letting him come along. But then she remembered that he begged to come...literally, and she said yes partly because she felt sorry for him, and partly (well... mostly) because she didn't feel like taking the train as a method of getting to JFK and had no other ride.

Sharpay sighed helplessly, resisting the urge to call Milton a shithead for the tenth time today. Yes, she did call him a shithead exactly nine times in the past two hours, but he learned to ignore it after the first five times.

Gabriella stood up, grabbing her carry-ons and luggage. From afar, she could see a line beginning to form for check-in, so she turned to Milton and shot him a weak not genuine smile.

"Thanks so much for driving us, but I think we have to go stand in line now," She told him, linking her arm with Sharpay, who was desperately trying to figure out how she was going to carry a Fendi handbag, a Coach clutch, a Prada tote, and two heavy neon pink suitcases. She claimed that the bright color would make it easier for her to notice her luggage when it came out on the conveyor belt, which was true, but the color hurt the eyes of everyone but Sharpay.

Gabriella waved to him briefly before wheeling her luggage to the start of the line. Luckily, the line seemed to be moving pretty fast so the two would be inside in very little time. Milton ran after Gabriella, his small pale hands flew in the air as he tried to pull the luggage away from her.

"Here, I'd be happy to help you carry all your stuff," Milton proclaimed proudly, delighted that he could at least be useful in one way. Sharpay, who overheard him, shot daggers at the back of his head.

"Um, excuse me! I could use a hand!" Sharpay snapped at him in irritation, but as expected, he simply ignored her. Unlike Gabriella, she actually needed a hand with her stuff.

But then again, Gabriella's bags were a lot lighter and Milton lacked the sufficient amount of muscles in him to be able to lift any of Sharpay's suitcases. Even so, if she wanted some help from him, maybe she should have toned down a little on the number of 'Shitheads' she spat at him.

"I'm fine," Gabriella insisted offhandedly, regaining a hold on her luggage as she paced faster than usual. "Really, I can handle it from here. Have a nice summer, Milton."

Milton came to a halt, looking forlorn and out of place as Sharpay haughtily strutted past him, the wheels of her suitcases running over Milton's toes.

Ouch. It must've been a bad day to wear flip-flops.

"OWW!" Milton cried out in pain as he hopped on one foot, rubbing the run-over foot to numb out the pain. Sharpay simply smirked in satisfaction and let her second suitcase run over his right foot.

"SHIT, MY OTHER FOOT!"

Gabriella's refrained from laughing as her eyes grew wide at the sight, noticing several people in the airport staring at them to see what all the commotion was about.

Sharpay just grinned in amusement and laughed sadistically before passing through into the line. "That's what you get for being a dick, Heindick!"

Gabriella sighed exhaustively as she dropped onto the first class seat in the _Airbus_. She had just been through hell and back. Not only did she waste an hour at baggage drop-off because _both _of Sharpay's suitcases were over the weight limit (and considering that arrangements were made prior to the day of the flight to change the weight limit of her suitcases from 40 lbs to 70 lbs, it was just frustrating to know that her bags had _passed _the exception they made for her and only certain celebrities), but Sharpay was also determined to buy as many duty-free items as she possibly could, not even bothering to check if some of those items could even FIT in her carry-on bags.

Sharpay placed her load of crap beneath both their seats.

_That girl seriously has issues, _Gabriella thought to herself. Sharpay wasted hundreds of dollars per day on stuff she didn't even need.

A lava lamp, a giant candy cane, a thermos with a picture of Chace Crawford on it, and various designer products were among the crap that she bought.

Gabriella could already tell that this would be a long flight.

Sharpay placed the Chanel shades that she purchased an hour ago atop her head and smiled as she noticed the built-in interactive TV screen in front of each seat. The remote was fastened at the arm-rest and from the looks of it, both girls could choose whatever they wanted to watch during the flight. Maybe that would make the flight a bit more bearable.

Gabriella knew that she wouldn't be getting much sleep during the flight. When she was younger, sleeping on planes wasn't a big deal. She was smaller, so she could rest her legs on one of her parent's laps and sleep with a pillow on her seat. Now that Gabriella was a full-grown teenager, she wasn't able to do that and no matter how hard she tried, she could not fall asleep in a sitting position. It was just uncomfortable and Gabriella would rather be tucked in a bed rather than sitting.

So, with that in mind, she braced herself for an eight and a half hour flight and took advantage of the entertainment that the TV could provide.

All was well until Gabriella was reminded of the burden that she would have to face once she arrived - jetlag.

God, Gabriella hated riding on planes.

"_Ooh_, my mom just texted me," Sharpay announced, scanning through her text messages on her iPhone before lift-off. "Apparantly, Ryan's flight arrived in Japan safely."

Ryan was Sharpay's twin brother. Sharpay often referred to him as her younger brother, but it was only because she was born ten minutes earlier. The ten minutes seemed to make a difference considering the two had different birth dates. While Sharpay was born at 11:52 P.M, Ryan was born at 12:02 A.M., and thus, the two were technically born on different days.

Sharpay loved it, though, because instead of having to share her birthday with her brother, she had an entire day dedicated to herself only.

"That's good," Gabriella replied. "That must've been a hell of a long flight."

Sharpay scoffed. "I'm sure it was, but hey, you know Ryan. He probably did something to keep himself entertained, like hitting on all the stewardesses."

Gabriella chuckled wryly. "Probably. At least he'll have fun in Japan."

"Lord knows what he does there every summer," Sharpay mumbled, pulling out the duty-free shopping catalogue in the pocket beneath the front seat.

While Sharpay spent the summer with her grandparents in Italy, Ryan was off at some obscure 'Hat Lovers' Camp in Japan. Neither Sharpay nor Gabriella knew much about Ryan's camp adventures because Ryan refused to talk about it, but the two decided that they would weasel answers out of him later this summer.

"Proving his love for hats with, um, several other anime lovers...?" Gabriella supplied, her comment seeming more like a question than an answer.

Sharpay chuckled lightly, rolling her eyes as she thought of her wacky brother and his whimsical motions and ideas.

"Now if _that_ doesn't sound strange, then I don't what is."

Gabriella held back laughter, knowing what Sharpay was implying through her comment. They both weren't oblivious about the speculation that Sharpay's brother may be gay. Neither of them were sure nor would they care if he was, but it felt like the tension in the air would be released if he came out about it and told them straight out.

"Good Morning passengers, we welcome you aboard Delta Airlines. As soon as everyone takes his or her seat, we will begin our preparation for takeoff. Our flight attendants will come around to assist you momentarily."

Gabriella let out a sigh, knowing it was time to face the music.

Sharpay stared into her compact mirror, applying her Juicy Couture lip gloss to prevent her lips from becoming chapped mid-flight. "What's wrong?" She inquired curiously. "You seem down."

Gabriella tilted her head, trying to find a comfortable spot to rest her head at for the duration of the flight.

"I'm not down... I'm excited, I guess. I just really hate long flights," Gabriella explained herself. The last thing she wanted Sharpay to think was that she wasn't grateful to be getting away from New York during the most unbearable, humid, and rainy month.

"Well, then, cheer the hell up!" She suggested, but when Sharpay Evans advised someone, it always sounded more like an order than an actual suggestion.

Gabriella nodded obediently, pulling out her cell phone to see if her mother texted her back. She sent out texts to both her parents, who were currently in seperate states as a result of their recent divorce, informing them that her flight was about to take off and that she would call them when the plane landed.

"Miss, I'm afraid you have to turn off all electric devices at this moment," The overly-perky flight attendant stated as Gabriella rolled her eyes knowingly. Turning off her phone, she shoved her Blackberry into a pocket of her brown Urban Outfitters canvas bag.

"So," Gabriella dawdled, mentally scavenging for a conversation opener to keep herself distracted as the plane began to move. "We're staying with your grandparents from your mom's side in Italy?"

"Yes," Sharpay confirmed with a smile. "We'll be staying in a town called 'Lido di Jesolo'. It's a small town just a few miles away from Venice near the Adriatic Sea. It has a _gorgeous_ beach and broadwalk. And it's almost always alive at night, so you can go shopping until like midnight," Sharpay smiled dreamily as she giggled, "And it's _really _romantic, trust me. My grandparents own a house there. They spend the winter in Milan, but come down to Jesolo for the summer. So, they will be the first who you'll end up meeting. Don't worry, my grandparents can speak English rather well so that won't be much of a problem."

Gabriella nodded her head, signaling her to continue.

"My mother is there already, as you know. That's what usually happens most summers. Daddy is off in the Hamptons running his country club while me and _mother,_" The hostile sound in her tone indicated the contempt she felt for her mother. For matters unknown, Sharpay and her mother didn't get along too well, "visit my grandparents. Ryan used to come with us sometimes, but the summer before tenth grade he begged my parents to send him off the Hat Lovers Camp in Japan and he hasn't shown any interest in coming back to Italy ever since."

"Maybe the Japanese brainwashed him there?" Gabriella teased playfully.

Sharpay laughed wrly. "Who the hell knows? Anyway, my mom has a close friend - Lucille Bolton - whose family owns the summer house next door to us. You'll probably end up meeting them, too. They're almost always at our place or vice versa. OH, _speaking of which_... remember how I told you about the hottie I wanted to hook up with last summer?"

"Yes," Gabriella replied methodically, recalling her babbling on about his finely toned biceps and electric blue eyes earlier in the school year. Gabriella felt the plane move after she tightened her seat belt, staring longingly out of the window as the plane lined up for take-off.

"Well, yeah. I've known him since I could remember. He was cute and pudgy as a kid, but then like last summer he became, like, super hot. But the summer before he became hot, I pushed him off a wharf at night and he broke his left arm," Sharpay said hastily, her voice null of emotion or any sort of remorse."So... yeah. He's _still _not over it," Sharpay rolled her eyes, acting as if it was ridiculous for him to keep a grudge over the breaking-his-arm-by-pushing-him-off-a-wharf-in-the-middle-of-the-night scenario.

Gabriella grimaced. "You pushed him off a _wharf_?"

"Oh, _please_! Don't act like you've never done something extreme Miss Four-Point-Oh-Average."

Gabriella blinked, looking back at a time when she's done anything _remotely_ similar to what Sharpay's done in the past.

Well, there was that one time during sophomore year when she went to a Cobra Starship concert instead of studying for her honors chemistry exam, which she still managed to ace the next day.

And then there was that one time when she paid her cousin to clean her room after her mother specifically asked Gabriella to clean up her mess of a room.

And then there was that time when she threw a headless Barbie at Sharpay's head in Pre-school. Yes, that was rather badass for her, even at the tender age of four.

"Gabriella, are you shitting me?" Sharpay deadpanned, shooting her an incredulous look. "You've _never_ done something wild or outrageous or, well, _spontaneous_?"

Gabriella stiffened in her chair. _She's my best friend for crying outloud, she should know better than anyone else that none of those adjectives described me. I'm probably the most predictable person on the face of this earth!_ Gabriella thought to herself bitterly, knowing each word to be true. She woke up and fall asleep at the same time as result of being an early-bird, ate the same thing for breakfast, bought the same grilled chicken salad for lunch, and her afternoon always went by a monotonous schedule! She could recall plenty of times when Sharpay's teased her about her tendency to make schedules, and numerous instances when Sharpay's became so annoyed with them that she deliberately ripped them up.

_Seriously, what loser actually writes schedules? Oh, yeah. Me._ Gabriella thought.

Gabriella's silence must have prompted Sharpay to speak because Sharpay continued on with her rant.

"Well, maybe one day you'll stop making those ridiculous schedules that plan out every single moment of the day! After all, you can't always expect what's coming at you! Maybe you'll be a little more like me. For example, some hot Italian guy wants to rub tanning oil on my thighs at the beach. What am I gonna do? Pull out my schedule and write down exactly word for word, 'Hot Italian Guy Rubs My Thighs' at 1 P.M?" Sharpay scoffed, waving the ridiculous idea aside. "_Please_. You haven't lived until something completely unexpected comes running full speed ahead of you. And by then, you won't have the _time _to include it in a schedule."

Gabriella rolled her eyes for what seemed like the millionth time that day, feeling herself growing annoyed at Sharpay's persistance.

"Okay, Shar, I _get it_. I will try to refrain from making schedules for myself while I'm in Jesolo, and I'll... _try _to do something spontaneous or unexpected. Happy now?"

Sharpay smiled in content, feeling accomplished as the plane began to ride full speed on the runway, "Very."

* * *

**AN: **Continue or not?


	2. Jesolo

**AN: **Special thank you to livelaughlove4life, Lia D, IrethK, Lola, perci, FenderHero, and xMeggyPopx for reviewing!

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**Arrival in Jesolo**

Gabriella felt like a zombie.

After a long eight and a half hour plane ride, during which she stayed awake and alert, Gabriella wanted nothing more than to jump into her soft and comfortable bed, and fall asleep. But, of course, she was more than a thousand miles away from New York and she would have to wait until they arrived in Jesolo to be able to rest. And even then, Gabriella highly doubted that Mrs. Evans would let her and Sharpay sleep. Maybe Mrs. Evans would let them sneak in a nap after she bombarded them with questions of the flight and the weather in Manhattan.

Dragging her feet drowsily, Gabriella's tired eyes stared ahead. Her curled brown hair managed to tangle itself, resulting in a frizzy mess; while she bore resemblance to a character from _Night of the Living Death_, Sharpay was buzzing around happily, her hair styled in perfection as she skipped off the plane. She had gotten a reasonable amount of sleep on the plane and drank a cup of coffee right before the plane landed while Gabriella foolishly settled with green tea. All Gabriella could do now was wish desperately that there would be a Starbucks near the passenger waiting area, and try to focus on her steps to prevent herself from falling over.

"Tired?" Sharpay asked her as the two walked through the tunnel that connected the plane to the terminal. Gabriella simply shook her head yes. Sharpay smirked, her hand flying to Gabriella's wild hair, ruffling it into a bigger mess than it already was. "You look like shit. You might wanna fix your hair in the bathroom after we get our bags."

_Great, leave it to my best friend to confirm my suspicions. That's the last time I'm ever leaving my hair down during a flight, _Gabriella thought to herself bitterly.

Sharpay sighed dramatically, annoyed that Gabriella wasn't as talkative as she usually was.

"You know, I feel kinda dumb talking to myself. It would be nice if you responded," She snapped, tucking a mass of blonde hair behind her ears.

Gabriella groaned, the sleep deprivation finally getting to her as she snapped. "What do you want me to say? I didn't get a good night's sleep the day before we left and I didn't sleep on the plane either. I'm _tired_, Sharpay-"

Gabriella stopped in her tracks, taken aback by how _small_ the terminal looked compared to JFK. The airport itself had a charming feel to it with its interactive television platforms and screens. Gabriella smiled slightly as she noticed a group of kids pointing their fingers at the screen and the television instantly registering which category the kids pointed at. She had to admit, it was impressing. Touch-screen was one thing, but when one didn't even need to touch and all one needed to do was _point_? It had a wii-kind-of feeling to it, except that it was a finger pointing and not a remote control. All the flights - the departures and arrivals - seemed to be in this one and only terminal. Yeah, it was _nothing _like JFK.

Sharpay grinned. "Well, good luck because my grandparents are throwing us a party tonight. Nothing like a good party to welcome the guests. And my mom will probably make it impossible for us to sneak in some nap time. I mean, we still need to unpack our bags, get a tour around Jesolo, meet the neighbors, see the shore-"

"Please, just stop talking," Gabriella begged her, resting her head on Sharpay's shoulder as she closed her eyes.

"Oh, no you don't!" Sharpay protested, lifting up her shoulder to get rid of her best friend's head . "We have to find our bags. As you know, _my _suitcases will be easy to find, but yours are black and plain and _blech_."

Gabriella sighed, scanning the conveyor belt as tons of suitcases circulated around, awaiting to be picked up by the rightful owner. Sharpay and Gabriella stood, watching suitcases pass by for about two minutes before a shocked gasp escaped from Sharpay's glossy lips.

"Someone's _stealing _my pink bag!" She shrieked, pointing at the man who grabbed the hot pink bag off the conveyor belt. "THIEF!"

A crowd of people from the flight stared at the blonde as she ran maniacally after the poor man who probably just mistaked the... extremely pink suitcase for... err... his own?

Just as Sharpay was about to let some very unkind words slip from her tongue, the elderly man holding her luggage wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into an embrace.

Gabriella blinked, rather confused. _Um, should I call security?_

Sharpay did have her little fanclub - the Sharpettes, which consisted of about four underclassmen who aspired to be _just like her_. And occasionally, she would run into her adoring fans - AKA her stalkers - who would do something outrageous and strange, and then afterwards, Sharpay would act like it wasn't a big deal - as if it was something that happened to her _constantly._

But as Gabriella watched her scowl transform into a slight smile, she instantly knew that wasn't the case. Sharpay obviously knew that man and from the looks of it, they were most likely relatives. After hugging the elder man tightly, Sharpay turned around on her heel, scanning the crowd in search of Gabriella. Once she spotted her, Sharpay motioned for Gabriella to walk over. Gabriella sprinted to the spot where Sharpay and the man stood, smiling as she greeted the man politely.

_"Ciao Buongiorno_!" He acknowledged Gabriella, shaking her hand firmly. He sensed Gabriella's cluelessness at what he just said, clarifying it for her in nearly perfect English. "Good morning, you must be Gabriella. I've heard so much about you all these years. It is great to finally meet you! I'm Ferdinando, _sono_ _piacere di conoscerla_... it's a pleasure to meet you."

Gabriella smiled earnestly, shaking his hand mannerly. "Thank you, it's very nice to meet you, too. Are you Sharpay's grandfather?'

He nodded his head yes, smiling as he wrapped his arm around his grand-daughter's waist. "_Mi sei mancato molto_ (I missed you)! Have you gotten taller since last summer?"

Sharpay giggled. "Oh, _nonno _(grandpa)_, _I've missed you too! And no,it's just the heels I'm wearing."

How she managed to wear heels so frequently and not complain about it was beyond Gabriella's understanding. Walking behind the two, Gabriella couldn't help but feel rather lost. Gabriella studied French in school, so she really didn't know much of the Italian language; and much to her mother's dismay, Gabriella never expressed an interest to learn Spanish, so the ties between Spanish and Italian would not help her in this case. She did, however, know one phrase - "Non parlo Italiano", which she was sure would come in handy during her stay in Italy.

Gabriella spotted two suitcases by the conveyer belt and quickly lifted them off without too much effort. It was pretty light; she packed it light, expecting that she would end up buying lots of clothes and souvenirs during her stay, and if she packed as heavily as Sharpay did, there wouldn't be enough room to take everything home.

"How's _nonna_ doing?" Sharpay asked her grandfather; she turned to Gabriella, mouthing, 'Grandma'.

Gabriella shook her head understandingly, silently thanking her best friend for clarifying it. Sharpay didn't speak much Italian, obviously, but her stays there during the summer must have taught her the bare minimum or, at the very least, the most basic words.

"Very well, she's excited for your coming," He answered, pulling at another hot pink bag that floated by on the conveyer belt.

"_Grazie_!" Sharpay thanked him in a chipper manner, grabbing the small hot pink luggage and wheeling it, letting him hold her other larger bags.

"_Prego,_" He replied. Gabriella made a mental note to herself to remember the common phrases.

"The air feels different here," Gabriella commented, taking in the scent. It was definitely a little less humid. And considering the sun was shining brightly outside, she highly doubted that it was as rainy and gross as it had been in New York the day of the flight.

"Duh, Gabriella," Sharpay stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world when it... well, it _was_ pretty obvious.

* * *

"European cars are so cool!" Gabriella gushed, her forehead pressed against the window of Ferdinando's car as she stared out into the highway. "They're so small and... _cute_."

"_Cute_? You must not be serious!" Ferdinando objected, his hands busy maneuvering the vehicle.

Sharpay wrinkled her nose in distaste. "They're too small, you'd never be able to drive those things in New York. And they all look, like, historic."

Ferdinando gritted his teeth, quipping. "This baby is about ten years old and still works as well as the day I got it. It's a precious gem!"

Sharpay scoffed, her hand laying lazily on the armrest. "Yeah, sure _nonno_. Don't act like _nonna _hasn't been telling you to buy a new car for the past four years."

Gabriella stared at the narrow streets as the car pulled off the highway, passing by a yellow hayfield full of crops. "It looks like a farm!" She exclaimed, eying the barrels of hay.

Sharpay yawned indifferently. "Yeah, definitely not the best sight to see in Italy."

Gabriella grinned, turning to her best friend in excitement. "You know, this really woke me up! Now, I _really_ can't wait to see the sea that you talk about nonstop!"

"Ah, the Adriatic Sea?" Ferdinando inquired.

"Yeah!" Gabriella proclaimed loudly, her eyes widening as she heard the roar of a motorcycle passing by swiftly. "Whoa, more people ride motorcycles than cars around here!"

"They're called Vespas, you idiot," Sharpay stated bluntly.

"Oh," Gabriella blushed a shade of red. "Sorry, I thought it started with a 'V', but I wasn't sure."

"One time when we were kids, _nonno _picked me and Ryan up from the airport on his Vespa and drove us back on it while mom had our suitcases in the car," Sharpay smiled, looking back on the memory fondly. "Hey," She turned to her grandfather excitedly. "You should do that again!"

Ferdinando smiled sadly, shaking his head. "Maybe I could, if I was fifteen years younger."

Sharpay playfully swatted at her grandpa's forearm. "Don't talk like that! You're not old!"

"Tell that to _mia moglie _(my wife)."

Sharpay smirked. "Very funny."

The car came to an abrupt stop as Ferdinando parked the car seemingly carelessly, considering that all the other cars were parked in an opposite direction. Gabriella looked around, only to discover that all the cars that were parked on the side faced opposite directions, and some cars were even parked _on _the sidewalk.

"Wow," Gabriella breathed out. "This is - unbelievable!"

Sharpay's eyes stared at the front lawn of the house, decorated with balloons, colorful signs, and tables full of prepared food. She smirked, knowing Gabriella had no idea what it was like to come home to an Italian family, who prepared food and drinks and an entire party for a welcome home.

"Gabriella, I'm going to warn you-" Sharpay began dramatically, stopping for a moment of silence to add onto the effect, "when you get out that car, I'm pretty sure that about a dozen strangers that you have never seen before are gonna attack you and pepper you with cheek kisses."

"Okay," deadpanned Gabriella, raising an eyebrow. "Um, thanks for warning me."

Ferdinando bolted out of the car, shouting something in Italian that sounded like, "_They're here!_"

Instantly, a dozen of people ran to the car, screaming their greetings as Sharpay and Gabriella exited the car. Sharpay smiled, holding her head up high, imagining that the crowd was not family and friends, but adoring fans rather, and that she was not about to enter the same old summer house she has visited for so many years, but onto the red carpet.

"Sharpay!" An elderly woman with dyed golden blonde hair cried out, wrapping her arms around her granddaughter lovingly.

"_Nonna!_" Sharpay squealed, kissing the woman's cheek.

Gabriella smiled as she spotted a familiar face in the sea of individuals.

"Gabriella, it's lovely to see you again!" Derby Evans exclaimed, hugging her daughter's best friend tightly. "How was the flight?"

"Terrible," Gabriella admitted, tucking a stray curl behind her ear. "But I suppose that's partly my fault because I didn't allow myself to rest at all in those eight and a half hours."

"Oh, what a shame!" Derby frowned, tugging the brunette by the shoulders. "I promise I'll let you and Sharpay have your rest later, but for now, let me introduce you to the family and neighbors!"

Gabriella smiled as she spotted Sharpay's grandmother, who she met a couple of years back when she visited New York during the fall.

"_Gabriella_!" Alessandra Lombardi, wife of Ferdinando Lombardi and grandmother of Sharpay Evans, wrapped her arms around Gabriella, squeezing her tightly.

"Mrs. Lombardi, it's great to see you again!"

"How many times do I have to tell you? Call me Alessandra!"

Gabriella smiled, nodding her head in understanding as Alessandra continued. "We were all very excited to hear that you were coming!"

"I can't thank you enough for letting me stay here for the summer," Gabriella expressed her gratification. "_Grazie mille_!"

Alessandra smiled warmly as she spoke in her charming Italian accent. "It is no prob-lem! We are more than glad to allow you to stay with our grahn-daughter and it is always a pleasure to have you here!"

An elderly lady with dark hair walked over to Alessandra, whispering into Alessandra's ears in Italian. Alessandra instantly smiled, turning back to Gabriella. "Gabriella, this is Loretta. Her daughter's family is staying in the home next door," Alessandra swiveled around, pointing at the small yet colorful house next door.

"_Benvenuta!"_ The friendly woman greeted her, leaning in for a double-cheek kiss, welcoming her to Lido di Jesolo.

"Grazie," Gabriella replied.

"_Quanti anni hai_?" Loretta asked. Gabriella blinked, confused. Loretta did not speak English very well, and Gabriella barely understood Italian.

Alessandra, luckily, sensed her panic as she translated. "She asked how old you were."

"Oh, um-" Gabriella considered telling Loretta her age with her fingers, but Alessandra seemed to beat her to it by replying in Italian to Loretta. Loretta grinned, nodding her head as she muttered words back in Italian.

Once again, Alessandra translated. "I told her you were age seventeen, the same as Sharpay. Her grandson is around your age and she wishes for you to meet him," Alessandra turned around, scanning the front lawn in sight of the boy. "He was just around here with his friend with the crazy hair-"

"Oh," Gabriella feigned a smile. "I would certainly love to meet him, but perhaps some other time? I'm still very exhausted from the long flight-"

"Nonsense, it would only take a few minutes!" Alessandra declared. "I'll have Sharpay introduce you two - I'm sure she would be delighted to!"

Gabriella gave in, sighing. "All right, I'll go find her."

Swiveling around, she collided into a built chest on accident. Gasping, she felt strong arms wrap around her waist, preventing her from falling over.

"_Prestare attenzione_," The husky voice said to her, chuckling drily as his hands left her waist once she regained her balance on the ground. Gabriella stared up at the tall, muscular figure, shooting him a grateful smile.

"Sorry," Gabriella squeaked, searching for the words to express herself in case the boy didn't understand English. "Um... _mi scusi_?"

The boy grinned, flashing his pearly whites. "You are excused," He responded in an Italian accent. Gabriella smiled, impressed at how almost everyone seemed to understand and speak English fairly well, with few exceptions.

The boy was tan just as nearly all Italians were, a result from tanning year-round. He had jet black hair, slicked back stylishly. His chest and arms were muscular and toned, giving Gabriella the impression that he exercised a fair amount.

"I believe I have not greeted you properly," He began, enunciating his words clearly as he winked at her slyly. "_Ciao, bella_."

Gabriella giggled, extending her hand. "Ciao! I'm Gabriella."

"_Antonio_," He grinned, his hand linking hers. "Is this what you... Americans do? Shake hands upon greeting?"

Gabriella nodded her head, smiling. "Yes, pretty much."

"Well, this is Italia. We greet differently here," Antonio winked before kissing one side of Gabriella's cheek and then the other.

Before the two could engage in a decent conversation, Gabriella felt someone pulling at her shoulders, turning her around.

"Gabriella!" Sharpay hissed viciously. "Get over here, _now_."

Startled, Gabriella mumbled a quick apology to Antonio, waving at him as she shouted before being dragged away by Sharpay. "It was nice meeting you!"

"What the hell are you doing?" Sharpay snapped, tugging her by the arm as the two walked towards the porch of the Lombardi summer home.

"Nothing! I was just talking to Antonio-" Gabriella mumbled. "I was before you decided to pull me away!"

Sharpay glared at her. "You should be happy that I did. Whatever you do, STAY AWAY from Antonio. Seriously, he's bad news."

"Really?" Gabriella asked, surprised. "He seemed pretty nice."

Sharpay rolled her eyes, scrambling up the stairs to the porch. "That's what he wants you to think. He's nothing but a dick, Gabs. Just try to avoid him at all cost."

"All right, Sharpay," Gabriella gave in with a sigh. "Whatever you say!"

Sharpay's hand pulled at the doorknob, opening the front door. "And here's the inside that you've been dying to see."

Gabriella's mouth hung open, her eyes glued to the red floral-patterned carpeting, the vintage European wallpaper, and the replicas of Leonardo di Vinci and Raphael's art that hung on the walls. The living room resembled an old room that once belonged to royalty and then transformed into a museum for tourists to gawk at.

Gabriella giggled, plopping onto the white leather couch, savoring the feeling of comfort. "Oh, gosh. The room is so beautiful, Sharpay! And the couch is really comfy," Gabriella added. "I could just fall asleep right now!"

"Don't get too comfortable, you still need to meet the neighbors," Sharpay reminded her. "For some reason, my nonna and Loretta are ecstatic about introducing you to Loretta's grandson," Sharpay rolled her eyes, "You know old ladies. They have nothing better to do."

Gabriella's mouth flew agape, shocked at Sharpay's comment. "Sharpay!" Gabriella chastised her, "That's a _horrible_ thing to say."

Sharpay shrugged innocently. "It's the truth. They're so old-fashioned, they always try to set up their kids. At one point, they had a plan for me and Troy to be married to carry on the family traditions or whatever, but that was way back when."

Gabriella raised an eyebrow knowingly, hiding a smirk from surfacing onto her face. "So, _that's _his name?"

Sharpay flushed, her cheeks turning a bright shade of pink. "Shut up! He's a dick now, don't pay much attention to him. Like I said before, he's still not over my breaking his arm."

"Yes, because your pushing him off a wharf must have not been the least bit traumatizing," Gabriella quipped sardonically.

"He could've taken it like a man!" Sharpay fired back. "Whatever, I still have some tourists to check out at the beach later. Jesolo is based off tourism in the summer time, and most of the tourists happen to be European, so they're often _extremely _hawt."

"Mhmm," Gabriella mumbled, her eyes getting lost in the painting "The Last Supper", which hung above the white leather loveseat.

"C'mon," Sharpay anxiously grabbed her hand, pulling her off the couch before Gabriella dozed off. "Sleep later, it's shoretime for now!"

"Sharpay," Gabriella groaned sullenly, her eyes refusing to open. "_Later."_

"No," Sharpay barked. "_Now_."

And that was that.

* * *

"_Move it_," Sharpay bellowed her command, her hands resting on her hips as her eyes followed Gabriella apathetic figure down the streets of Jesolo.

"Sharpay, where are you dragging me to?" Gabriella questioned her best friend, willing herself not to fall over out of exhaustion.

Sharpay gaped at Gabriella incredulously. "Are you really _that _out of it? I just told you twenty minutes ago that we were heading down to the shore! And we're almost there, so if you would walk a little faster, we would be on the beach by now!"

"Oh," Gabriella mumbled dumbly. "_Right_. Um, sorry. It's just that I'm really, really tired."

Sharpay smirked knowingly. "Trust me, you're not gonna wanna sleep after what you see."

Ushering her to follow, Sharpay ambled through a narrow alley that eventually lead to the beach. Gabriella trailed after her like a lost puppy, picking up her speed to catch up.

Up ahead, a group of boys swaggered down the alley, laughter audible from the tan, muscular Italians. The leader of the pack, holding a cigarette in between his index and middle finger, fixated his stare at Sharpay, smirking as he breathed out a puff of smoke. His buddies hooted at the blonde and her brunette friend; a few cat-called, and nearly all of them exchanged hushed whispers about them, presumably in Italian considering neither Sharpay nor Gabriella understood the chatter.

Gabriella resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she passed by the leader, her eyes concentrating on the pools of blue that she spotted in the nearby distance. The curved corners of her mouth formed into a small smile, resulting in the formation of two dimples on her cheeks.

"Ta-da!" Sharpay sang, extending her arm to present the gorgeous beach. "Ain't it lovely?"

Gabriella gawked at the sight. Sharpay had babbled on and about the wonder and beauty of her Italian vacations, and she had seen postcards and pictures of Sharpay on the beach, but none of the pictures represented the scene as perfectly as she saw it with her own eyes. The sand was golden at the edge of the water, but the rest of the sand bore an apricot shade. The color of the sand in the Hamptons was lighter and paler, and the Adriatic Sea's vivid blue color definitely stood out. Even from a distance, she could tell that the water would be a lot cleaner and brighter than the Atlantic.

Sharpay took off her heels, letting her feet sink into the warm sand as she bent down to pick up her heels. Gabriella did the same, sprinting after her to catch up.

"You were right," Gabriella stated simply, "It's amazing."

Sharpay smirked, "I told you so!"

Gabriella peered down at the beach, noticing several wharf broadwalks extending out into the sea straight ahead. She smirked, nudging Sharpay. "So, which one of those did you push what's-his-name off of?"

Sharpay sighed overdramatically, sliding her oversized D&G shades down the tip of her ski-slope nose. "Must you really remind me of that? I told you about it just so you wouldn't be surprised if he acted like an ass around me. I didn't intend for you to tease and guilt-trip me about it."

Gabriella giggled good-naturedly. "Sorry, I'll stop if you want."

Sharpay smiled, enjoying the warmth of the sun's ray on her backside. "I'd appreciate that. Now, what would you like to do?"

Gabriella pondered on the thought, her eyes travelling towards the water and the sight of children and adults playing around in the waves. The waves were miniscule compared to the waves in Long Island. Seeing an inflatable far off in the distance, she presumed that the water must not be too deep the farther that one ventured. She grinned as she saw jetskiers enjoying the speed and the feeling of water splashing upon them.

"I would love to go in, but I'm not wearing my swimsuit now," Gabriella replied.

Sharpay's eyes widened. "Crap! I forgot about that. I was going to grab mine, but I left it on my bedsheets."

Gabriella shrugged helplessly, "Hey, it's not a big deal. We have the whole summer to enjoy on the beach!"

Sharpay tilted her head, her brown eyes narrowing and her smile widening, revealing the glistening pearly white teeth. "Did you honestly think we were going to stay in Jesolo the _entire_ time? I mean, really, Gabriella. It's lovely to spend a week here, but after awhile it gets a little old."

Gabriella gulped, furrowing her brows. "Well, I suspected that we would pay a visit to Venice since it's so close by..."

"How do you feel about seeing Milan, Florence, _and_ the capital?" Sharpay asked her abruptly.

Gabriella stared at her blankly. "The c-capital? As in... _Roma_?"

Sharpay chuckled drily. "The one and only!"

"That would be so awesome!" Gabriella squealed in excitement. "But-but how would we get there?"

Sharpay blinked, wondering how her friend could possibly be so dense. "Um, _hello_, I can drive."

Gabriella blinked, puzzled. "Uh... I wasn't aware that you had an Italian driver's license...?"

Sharpay guffawed, her hand flying to her stomach. "Ahaha! Good one, Gabs. You can use an American driver's permit here to drive, but I wasn't thinking of driving in a _car_ persay-"

"Oh, no," Gabriella cut her off, shaking her head wildly. "_Hell,_ no, Sharpay. I am _not_ driving hundreds of miles south with you on a motorcycle, especially not if you're the one driving."

Gabriella knew Sharpay's reckless driving habits rather well, and the mere thought of sitting backseat as Sharpay sped beyond the limit and barely missed pedestrians and vehicles alike was simply terrifying.

"Um, first of all, it's a _Vespa_," Sharpay asserted haughtily, "Secondly, I am _not _that bad of a driver!"

Gabriella interrupted her with a scoff.

Sharpay sighed, relinquishing. "Okay, _fine, _I'm a sucky driver, but who says I have to drive?"

Gabriella frowned in confusion. "Well, who else would?"

Sharpay brushed the thought away with her palm. "Eh, _details_! We'll talk about this later. Right now, we've gotta go back to get our bathing suits."

"Can we not?" Gabriella asked quietly. "I don't think I have the energy to walk back home and then to here again."

"Ugh," Sharpay rolled her eyes. "You lazy bum. Fine, I'll go back _myself_ to get some towels, my swimsuit, and one of yours."

Gabriella smiled brightly. "All righty, thanks a lot, Sharpay!"

"_Yeah, yeah, yeah_," Sharpay replied in a monotone. "Just try not to get lost while you're waiting here. Oh, and don't get into trouble because then my mother's going to blame it on me, and I could live without her constant nagging."

"I won't," Gabriella promised. "I put my swimsuits in my Juicy Couture bag. Just pick a random one out of there."

"Okay," Sharpay responded, turning at her heel to begin walking back to the house before waving at Gabriella. "I'll be back in, like, fifteen mins tops!"

"Bye!" Gabriella called out to her. She heard someone snicker from behind; glancing over her shoulder swiftly, her keen eyes spotted a set of teenage boys staring hungrily towards her.

"Oh, great. Just what I need," Gabriella muttered to herself sarcastically as she braced herself for the worst to come, unaware that within her moments, her life would instantly become a tad bit more interesting.

* * *

**AN: Hopefully, you guys are enjoying it so far! R&R! Next chapter will pick up with Troy and his adventure. (:**


	3. Adriatic Sea

**AN:** Thank you for the positive feedback! I hope you guys enjoy the next chapter.

* * *

**Crush**

"I can't believe your rents made us sit around and wait until stupid blondie and company arrived."

"Believe me, Chad, I'm not a big fan of Sharpay myself," The sandy-haired boy remarked grumpily.

Troy Bolton strolled along by the shore, his feet sinking into the warm golden sand comfortably. Casting his eyes down onto his gelato, he licked the melted cream off of his cone before it melted in the blistering summer heat. His shaggy chestnut brown hair blew in the warm wind, falling into his electric blue eyes.

Beside him, his best friend Chad Danforth grappled with his gelatto as his entire mouth pressed against the cone, biting off his ice cream. Pulling away from the cone, his cheeks and nose were covered in sticky cream.

"God, man. I can barely stand that bitch back in New York," Chad mumbled, his voluminous afro blowing in the wind as he took another bite out of his gelato. "It's bad enough that you and me have to deal with her and her little friend this summer, too."

Troy glared at his friend before his eyes fell onto the shorter girl next to him. Chad caught his gesture, smiling sheepishly as he apologized. "_My bad_. Bailee, you didn't hear that."

"Mkay," The small girl mumbled off-handedly, busy eating her gelato out of her cup. Standing beside her elder cousin and his friend who were both nearly six feet tall, she seemed out of place and reasonably shorter than the two. Her skin glistened in the sun, tan from year-round exposure to the sun, and her medium-length light brown hair blew in the wind.

"Seriously, dude. I can't stand Sharpay for the life of me, but watch your language when you're around my cousin," Troy said to him, taking another lick from his gelato. Bailee was Troy's seven-year old cousin, and thanks to the many slip-ups from her cousin and his friend, was well aware of the bad language and vowed to herself that she would not say those words.

"_Yeah_, Chad!" Bailee quipped, dimples forming on her cheek as her mouth formed into a slight smile. Her brown eyes - the one trait that she possessed which Troy did not - spotted Chad's messy face, and instantly she burst out into a set of girlish giggles.

"What?" Chad asked dumbly.

"Your face, man," Troy flicked a napkin in Chad's direction.

Chad wiped his face, tossing the napkin aside in a nearby trashcan. "I should've gotten a cup like Bails instead of the cone."

"Same," Troy agreed, his eyes staring down at the melted ice cream. "It's way too hot today."

"I know," Bailee said, her eyes staring straight ahead at the sea. "I wanna go for a swim!"

Troy sighed. There was nothing more that he wanted at that moment than to go windsurfing and hit the waves. But considering the fact that they were currently supposed to be on the Lombardi property, welcoming Sharpay Evans back to Italy, it was only a matter of time before someone realized that he, his cousin, and his best friend were nowhere in sight.

"Maybe a bit later, Bailee. We should probably head back-"

Chad's eyes widened in alarm. "Oh, Lord. No, please... dude, can't we just hang around here for now?"

Troy shrugged his shoulders, cracking a small smile. "Maybe we don't have to go back _right_ away."

"Yes!" Chad hissed triumphantly. "Awesome, I'm gonna go in for a dip."

"I changed my mind!" Bailee's voice rang out. "I see my friend building a sand-castle. I'm gonna go over there and help her build it," Bailee pointed her index finger towards the direction where a dark-haired girl busily dug a hole to represent the moat in the castle. "Troy, can you go look for sea shells on the shore so we can decorate the castle?"

"Uh... I don't know. I sorta wanted to head in for a quick swim-"

Bailee stuck out her bottom lip, pouting as she begged her cousin. "_Pleeaase,_ Troy?"

Chad smirked knowingly as he mocked the little girl's tone, "Yeah, _please, Troysie?"_

Troy glared at Chad, punching him lightly around the arm. "Shut up, man."

"C'mon!" Bailee squirmed on her feet, folding her hands. "Please, please, please, _please_?"

Running a hand through his hair, Troy sighed in defeat. There was no point in fighting it when they both knew how it would end.

"All right, Bails. I'll find you some sea shells."

"Yay!" Bailee squealed, her small arms wrapping around her cousin's stomach as she hugged him tightly. "Thank you, Troy!"

Chad simply grinned in amusement, knowing fully well Troy's weakness - the little girl that he loved dearly and looked after like a big brother.

* * *

Gabriella stood idly by the shore, a smile forming upon her face as the warm water grazed upon her toes. The Adriatic water was warm and pleasant, unlike the chilly Atlantic, and she couldn't wait until Sharpay returned with both of their swimsuits. Restraining herself from jumping headfirst into the water fully clothed, she walked along the shore, her eyes peering down at the shells left imprinted into the sand. She smiled brightly once her eyes spotted a flat teal seashell that seemed to be in a perfect condition. She bent down to pick up the shell before her eyes fell upon another set of eyes, sparkling and cerulean. Taken aback, she jumped up and took a step back, letting the other figure pick up the seashell.

When the boy stood up, Gabriella found herself lost in his brilliant blue eyes that complimented his sandy hair and tanned body rather well. He offered her a small smile, extending the seashell towards her.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you. You can have the shell-" Troy stated, extending his hand to hers while scanning her facial features, taking note of how stunning this girl was. He could only hope she spoke English and understood what he just said...

"Oh, no, it's okay. You got to the seashell first, you can have it-" Gabriella replied.

Troy grinned. So, he knew she was American... that was a good start.

"No, really. I insist that you take it," Troy remarked charmingly, placing the shell into her hand. "Trust me, I have a billion of these at home. I was just looking around for some seashells for my little cousin's sandcastle, but there are plenty around, so I'll just find some others."

Gabriella smiled shyly as her fingers graced the beautiful shell. She lifted her gaze upon him and thanked him. He smiled, noting her beautiful smile among other features that he already liked about this girl.

In a feeble attempt to strike up a conversation before the dark-haired beauty before him left, Troy struggled to find words to say.

"So, uh... where are you from?"

"New York."

Troy's eyes brightened in alarm. "The city?"

Gabriella nodded her head, "Mhmm. Are you from here?"

Troy let out a chuckle, shaking his head. "Nah, my grandparents invite me and my family to visit every summer. I live in the city too, actually."

Gabriella's mouth widened in shock before her lips slowly spread into a grin and she let out a melodious laugh, "You're kidding!"

He shook his head no, smiling widely. "Dead serious. Small world, huh?"

She nodded her head eagerly, her foot playing with the sand, "Definitely."

"So, what brings you to Lido di Jesolo?"

Gabriella looked back towards the direction that Sharpay took off. "Oh, I'm here with my friend whose visiting her relatives too."

"Wow," deadpanned Troy. "It just so happens that one of my friend accompanied me while I visit _my relatives_. We seem to have so much in common, huh?"

Gabriella giggled, her heart skipping a beat every time the gorgeous boy offered her that striking smile and winked.

"So, what school do you go to?" Troy asked. He could easily have 40+ mutual friends with her on facebook and not even know it. That was just how it was in New York, everyone seemed to be linked. He made a mental note to himself to catch her name before she left.

Gabriella tilted her head in wonder, biting her lip nervously as she scavenged for the familiar name, unable to believe the effect that this guy had on her - to the point that she couldn't remember the name of her own school!

Troy simply chuckled, watching as she struggled to remember. He shook his head as he laughed. This girl was as adorable as hell.

"Brearley," she finally stated, her cheeks flushed.

"Oh, really?" Troy quirked his eyebrows, not bothering to hide his amusement. He knew quite a few girls from the school and certainly knew the reputation the school - it was famous for the smart, hot girls. Of course, he knew a certain blonde who went there who was anything _but that, _but for the most part, that phrase certainly seemed to encompass the majority of the student body.

Gabriella nodded, offering him a smile. "Yeah... you've heard of it?"

Troy laughed whole-heartedly. "You could definitely say that... I know quite a few girls who go there. And Chapin girls, too."

Gabriella scrunched up her nose at the sound of her rival school. Troy predicted her reaction and let out a laugh, enjoying the cute look on her face.

"You totally mentioned them on purpose to make me mad!" she accused him, sticking out her tongue at him. He nodded his head, unable to contain his laughter.

"Hmph," She flicked sand towards him with her foot, "Meanie!"

He shook his head, stifling his laughter. "So, you're an Upper Eastside girl? How have I not met you before?"

She shrugged, "New York's a pretty big city. Just out of curiosity, what school do you happen to go to?"

"Collegiate," he answered, enjoying the look of shock on her face. "Upper Westside."

"Wow," she stammered. "I-I...um...wow. I probably have a _lot_ of mutual friends with you."

She thought of asking him about Milton Heindick, her very own personal stalker, who probably left her a dozen wallposts on Facebook by now.

"Good to know. I'll ask around when I get home," he winked at her charmingly, causing her to blush.

Hearing Bailee's shouting from a few meters away, Troy sighed, hating to know that he would have to cut this meeting short.

"Sorry, my cousin's calling me. She's probably wondering why I haven't found her any seashells yet-" Troy tried to explain himself, mentally cursing himself for not having his phone with him to get this Brearely girl's number.

Gabriella simply smiled, masking her sadness at his having to leave so soon. "Oh, it's all right. I understand."

"Um, yeah. I guess I'll see you around?" He asked a little too hopefully. She nodded and flashed him a smile before turning around and heading another direction.

Troy sighed, running his fingers through his hair, desperately hoping that this was not the last time he caught sight of the dark-haired beauty.


	4. Nightlife

**Uscire la sera **(Nightlife)

"Spill bitch."

Gabriella's eyes looked up from her plate of spaghetti, staring at Sharpay in a perplexed manner. "I'm sorry, what?"

Sharpay sighed dramatically, her fork playing with the noodles. "What happened at the beach while I was gone?" She paused, adding an afterthought. "And don't you dare tell me nothing happened. I've known you for almost fourteen years, I can tell when something's up."

"Um," Gabriella bit her lip nervously. Had she really been that obvious?

Sharpay tapped her pink manicured nail against the table impatiently.

"I met a guy," Gabriella blurted out heedlessly.

Sharpay's glossy lips formed into a sly smile, "Oh?"

Gabriella beckoned yes, "He was cute."

Sharpay cocked an eyebrow, "_Just_ cute?"

Gabriella sighed. "He was pretty hot," She confessed.

"Name?" Sharpay demanded instantly.

"Uh," Gabriella pondered on the thought before stumbling upon a realization. "I didn't catch his name."

"Are you _kidding_?" Sharpay hissed. She most likely would have screamed if the two were outdoors, but seeing as they were inside the kitchen, Sharpay decided to keep her voice down.

"..."

"Gabriella! What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing!" She defended herself, "I was just so distracted that I forgot to ask! Did I mention that he lives in New York? And he knows what school I go to," She added quickly.

"Did he at least get your number?"

Gabriella hesitated to answer, "No..."

Sharpay shook her head, her palm smacking her forehead as she kept her head downcast. "You disappoint me, Montez."

* * *

Gabriella felt a grin grace her features as her eyes scanned over the night time scene of Lido di Jesolo. The sky darkened half an hour ago, but the beautiful lights adorned the small town, keeping the scene lively. The sun set a little after nine o'clock, surprising Gabriella at how late the sun set in Italy. There was about half an hour more of sunshine in Italy than New York, which she did not mind at all. The view of the sunset against the sparkling blue sea was extraordinary and Gabriella couldn't resist taking a few pictures for her scrapbook, much to the annoyed protests of Sharpay, who was obviously used to this by now.

Although the town looked cute in the daytime, there was something about night time that set a more romantic scene as Gabriella observed couples with interlocked fingers pass by on the broadwalk, the few daring teenagers fooling around by the wharfs, and the occasional couples sharing spaghetti (Lady & the Tramp style) over a candlelit dinner by the nearby restaurants.

While Gabriella observed the nightlife scene, Sharpay only had one thought on her mind - entering the boutiques and stocking up on designer purses.

"Gucci!" shrieked Sharpay, roughly grabbing Gabriella by the forearm before shoving her into a nearby store that was packed with designer purses, clutches, and scarves. Gabriella rolled her eyes with a chuckle at how typical this was of Sharpay.

"Ooh! I haven't seen this in Saks yet," Sharpay exclaimed before grabbing a heavily over-priced designer handbag before rubbing the texture with the palm of her hand. Smiling dreamily, Sharpay grabbed the handbag off the shell and ventured further into the small shop in pursuit of more purses.

Gabriella leisurely looked through the store, taking note of the cute purses and a few bizarre ones. Glancing at the ridiculous price tags, it quickly became apparent that you could buy all of this in New York for a cheaper price. With that, she searched for a more unique-looking purse - ones that would be difficult to find in designer stores in New York.

Forty-six purses later, Sharpay Evans finally decided upon which two to buy, while Gabriella didn't find anything she particularly liked. Sharpay simply rolled her eyes at the brunette, claiming Gabriella had an awful taste in purses. Gabriella merely shrugged and stated that she had more than enough handbags than she needed. Given the fact that her mother ran her own design company, Gabriella received too many designed items from that company as gifts.

Slapping down 200 euros on the counter, Sharpay quickly paid for her purses.

"Where should we go next?" Gabriella asked, patiently waiting as the lady in the counter wrapped the purses into a bag and handed it to Sharpay, who quickly thanked her in English.

"Hm, how'd you like to_ taste_ a little of Italy?"

* * *

"So, you met a hot chick who also happens to go to Brearley?" questioned Chad as Troy nodded excitedly. "Nice going, man. Is that why you dragged me out to town? To stalk this girl?"

Troy frowned. "Well, when you put it _that_ way, you make me sound like such a creeper, which isn't my intention at all. I prefer the term _looking for_ rather than stalking-"

"Yeah," deadpanned Chad. "There's little difference between the two considering you barely know this girl and yet you seem to be going crazy about her, thinking you see her left and right when she's obviously not there."

"Shut up, Chad."

The two were walking down the streets of Lido di Jesolo, enjoying the cool night air and a break from the sweltering day heat. It was a little after 10 o'clock, so after dropping Bailee off at home, the two decided to take a stroll through the streets and get something to eat. While Troy was determined to look for the dark-haired beauty that he met on the beach that day, Chad sought after open bars since he was convinced that this small town in Italy would give them unlimited access to alcohol - it _was_ Italy, after all.

"Hey, look! Is that her?"

Instantly, Troy swerved his head towards the direction Chad pointed at. "Where?"

Chad snickered in amusement as Troy fell for his trick, "See my point?"

Troy narrowed his eyes, smacking Chad on the forehead as Chad yelped.

"Screw you, man."

Chad chuckled, shaking his head at his friend's bizarre behavior that seemed to be caused by one girl who he barely even knew.

"Do you even know her name?"

Troy bit his lip nervously as he answered, "No."

"Are you serious?" Chad deadpanned, staring at Troy with incredulity. "Really, man. What exactly are you trying to accomplish here? You're not gonna miraculously find her on the streets at night time, especially not if you don't even have her name or phone number. Besides, how do you know she didn't leave yet or something? Maybe she was just here for a day or so and-"

"No!" Troy hissed, elbowing his friend as he knit his eyebrows. "Don't say that, you'll jinx it."

"Hey," Chad defended himself. "I'm just being realistic here. How bout you give up your search for one girl and just open your eyes to all the hot tourist chicks staying at these hotels," Chad wagged his eyebrows up and down, "Eh? How does that sound?"

Troy shrugged his shoulders with a longing sigh. "All I wanted was to catch her name at the very least. But then she disappeared before I got the chance to. Seriously, man, you didn't _see_ this girl. She was insanely gorgeous and the fact that she lives in New York...it's just - it's so _unfair_ that I didn't get her number or anything-"

"Maybe you'll run into her on the streets or if you _must_… stalk around her school, but not here. It makes no sense to look for her here when there's a slim chance she's even staying in this small town AND there are a bunch of other chicks around here to score. Now c'mon, they're playing a World Cup re-run at one of the bars over there," Chad winked as Troy rolled his eyes. Even back in New York, Chad was into the underage drinking scene, and seeing as they were in Italy, why not take advantage of it when they're in a country where there's no legal minimum age for consumption of alcoholic beverages.

Troy caved, deciding that this slight distraction may actually benefit him. If anything, he could always go back looking for her on the beach the next day.

Shooting Chad a small smile, Troy nodded in agreement and followed Chad in the direction of the nearest bar. Why not indulge himself in some Italian culture while he was making his visit.

"Okay. I'm surprised anyone's still watching the World Cup after Italy's loss-"

Chad's eyes bulged as his brown eyes glared down into Troy's own blue orbs with a threatening glance, "Shh! You do _not_ speak of this in public. Are you crazy man? They're _still_ not over that. Do you want some burly, overly muscled Italian soccer fanatic to fight you for saying that?"

Troy cracked a smile and nodded his head, "Fine, Chad. Whatever you say..."

With that, the two entered the nearest pub, instantly gravitating towards the bar chairs where many men sat and drunkenly ranted about the teams in the World Cup. Troy overheard bits and pieces of the conversation and understood the majority of the arguments while Chad cluelessly blinked, pretending to understand the conversation while nodding in agreement to whatever the largest man at the table said.

The bar was surrounded by red bricks as were most of the pizzerias and restaurants, giving the restaurant a welcoming warmth. In the center of the brick walls were paintings of sports cars, photographs of famous Italian stars who visited this pub in particular as well as their autographs. Chad licked his lips as he caught sight of a picture of the famous Italian supermodel Elena Santarelli.

"_Cosa vorresti da bere_ (Would you like anything to drink)?" The bartender asked upon noticing Troy and Chad settled in their stools. Chad looked utterly confused, but Troy easily understood the bartender's words. Although he understood Italian, it was hard for him to actually formulate a response back and required much thought.

After some hesitation, Troy finally opened his mouth and answered, "_Avete la carta dei vini_ (Do you have the list of wines)?"

Chad's mouth dropped open in shock. As of now, he was unaware that his best friend spoke Italian. The bartender handed Troy the wine menu as Troy smiled and thanked the man, "Grazie."

The bartender nodded in acknowledgment and left to serve drinks to some newcomers.

Staring into the menu, Troy saw a wine in particular that caught his attention, recalling his grandfather recommending it as a good dinner wine. Shrugging his shoulders, he decided to order it for him and Chad.

"_Una bottiglia di__Fontodi Chianti Classico 2001 per favore_," Troy ordered once the bartender returned. The bartender left again to search for the bottle

"Dude, since when do you speak Italian?"

Troy blinked, "My parents speak and talk in Italian. Naturally, I would have to understand the language to understand them. I always answer them in English though, so I feel awkward actually talking in Italian."

"Dude, _why_? I mean, you sound like you don't have an accent or anything. Man, I wish I spoke Italian," Chad sighed, his elbow propped up on the table as he rested his chin upon his hand, "Then I could easily impress an Italian girl. It's a romance language after all."

Troy chuckled, shaking his head, "I don't think it would really make much of a difference, Chad."

Chad's eyes widened as he rebutted. "Are you kidding? Of course it would! I bet you anything it would work."

"Bet?" Troy playfully smirked. "You're on. Let's do this."

"Wait," Chad paused. "I said it work _if_ I spoke Italian, which I don't."

"I know," Troy remarked slyly before reaching into his bag and pulling out a piece of paper and pen. "That's why _I'll_ tell you what to say."

"Whoa-oh, hold on there!" Chad protested. "I don't know how to pronounce Italian."

Troy cocked his brow, "It's not that hard. It's not like French where certain letters are silent."

Chad stuck out his bottom lip, pouting. "But I'm gonna sound like an idiot."

Troy grinned, "_Exactly_."

Chad narrowed his eyes, "You suck. I'm better off impressing the girl with my _impeccable _English."

Troy snorted, "Yeah, sure."

"Although," Chad paused and added an afterthought, "This _could_ work if the girl doesn't speak Italian-"

"Yes, but wasn't your goal to impress an _Italian_ girl?"

"After Taylor dumped my ass, I think any girl would do for now."

Troy burst into laughter at Chad's bluntness but simply nodded in agreement.

"So, are you up for the challenge?"

Chad shrugged carelessly, "Why the hell not."

Troy grinned and pressed the tip of his pen hard onto the surface of the paper, jotting down the pickup lines he wanted Chad to try out.

After a few minutes, Chad grabbed the paper away from him and read the words scrawled onto it.

_Ho perso il mio numero di telefono, potrebbe prestarmi il suo? _(I lost my phone number, can I have yours?)

_Hai da fare per I prossimi cent'anni? _(What are you doing for the next hundred years?)

_Vorrei fare l'amore voi._ (I want to make love to you)

"Dude, wouldn't it seem obvious if I'm reading it right _from_ the paper?"

"Nah, not if you copy it down onto your phone or something and pretend to be texting-"

Chad instantly reached into his pocket to pick up his phone, "All right, sure."

Once Chad copied down the words onto his phone, he stood up and searched the crowd for possible girls to work his _magic_ on.

Troy smirked, patting his friend's back. "Good luck, ole chap!"

"Thanks man," Chad answered, oblivious to Troy's ploy.

With that, he walked amongst the crowd like a predator in search of his prey. Scanning the girls in the club, he finally spotted one that looked somewhat approachable.

He slipped past the drunken crowd as slick as a snake and reached out to touch a brunette's shoulder before whispering the shortest phrase he remembered into her ear, "_Vorrei fare l'amore voi._"

* * *

**AN: **Love triangle? Haha.


	5. Jealousy

**AN:** I think only one person caught the foreshadowing in the last chapter...

**Edit: **Check out the poll on my profile.

* * *

Gabriella flinched, taken aback by the words breathed into her ear. She elbowed the body that stood behind her as a reflex to get rid of the grasp that a strange man had on her. She turned her body around, looking her creeper in the eye. She released a sigh of relief when she noticed that it was in fact not a man - simply a teenage boy who seemed to be around her age.

She blinked blankly at the dark-skinned boy with the afro, knitting her sculpted eyebrows. He didn't _look_ Italian.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?"

Chad's breath hitched in fear that he said the phrase wrong. With one glance down onto his phone, he read the phrase that Troy scribbled down earlier. Much to his relief, he did pronounce the right phrase. The only other possible explanation was that this girl didn't understand Italian.

Gulping, he repeated the phrase, "_Vorrei fare l'amore voi._"

Gabriella frowned in an attempt to translate the words. Her minimum knowledge of French gave her a _slight_ idea of what this sleazy boy was trying to say, and it only brought on repulsion.

"Not interested," Gabriella mumbled bluntly, turning her back on Chad and maneuvering through the crowd in search of her blonde friend. Gabriella wasn't _used_ to the club scene and random guys hitting on her, but she was positive that Sharpay certainly was and knew what to do.

"Wait!" Chad called out, grabbing onto her wrist, "I'm sorry, I'm just... it came out wrong-"

Gabriella struggled to free her wrist of his tight grasp, "I _said_ I'm not interested. Let go!"

"I will, I promise. Just... please do me a favor-"

Gabriella gritted her teeth as he released her hand, planting her hands on her hips in annoyance, "What do you want?"

Chad leaned in close to her, glancing back at Troy in the distance to make sure he was watching them. Too bad he didn't focus his attention on Troy a little more closely or else he would have noticed Troy's red face failing to mask his envy.

"My friend sent me over here on a bet that I could score a chick, so I'd really appreciate it if you just played along," Chad huskily whispered into her ear.

Gabriella groaned, narrowing her eyes, "And what makes you think that I want to play along-" She stopped her rant once her brown eyes scanned over the boy that Chad pointed at. Collegiate boy was currently staring at them, and she was sure that he recognized her just as she recognized him. Instantly, her cheeks flushed as an instantaneous reaction to seeing him. Even from twenty feet away, she could sense those piercing blue eyes gazing into her own and she felt herself drowning in those great sapphire lakes.

"So, what do you say?" Chad leaned down once more and whispered, reaching out for her hand. "Can you just _pretend_ for ten minutes or so? I'll, um, buy you a drink or something-" Chad mentally cursed himself from his lack of suaveness. It seemed that he no longer possessed the calm and collected look that he possessed back in New York before his breakup with Taylor - back when all the girls surrounded him like a pack of pesky flies.

Gabriella paid no mind to him, her eyes still glued to the sandy-haired Collegiate Boy whose blue eyes darkened in rage within a second. Shocked by the visible color change even from a distance, Gabriella shifted her attention back towards Chad, noting the dull brown color in his eyes. His eyes were nothing in comparison to the blue-eyed Adonis and those chiseled cheeks of his.

"Wh-why did your friend send you over here?" Gabriella managed to formulate words that escaped out of her mouth in a tiny whisper. Her own brown eyes clouded a bit in hurt at the thought that _he_ was trying to set her up with _his friend_ despite the connection they seemed to feel during their meeting earlier that afternoon. At the beach he seemed genuinely interested in her as she was in him, and it pained her to know that she managed to develop a crush in such a short amount of time on a guy who didn't reciprocate the feelings.

Chad shrugged, his fingers playing with her hand, "We had nothing better to do and wanted to have some fun before we got wasted."

Gabriella felt stung by his words, avoiding his gaze and instead staring out at a drunken Italian dancing and hopping to the Charlie Brown movement in an effort to hide the hurt from her brown orbs.

So this was all a game to him? Collegiate boy was _bored_, so he sent his friend over here to chat her up in an effort to entertain himself before he drowned himself in booze? Why didn't he even bother to come over and catch her name, she asked herself before a realization dawned upon her.

He must not have cared. He definitely recognized her, but cared so little that it wasn't even worth his effort to come on over himself.

Another thought crossed her mind. What if Collegiate Boy played this game at the beach today and purposely bumped into her? She sighed, knowing her wild imagination easily made up scenarios that either were or were not true. She simply did not understand why this hurt her so much.

"Why should I let you use me?" Gabriella quipped a reply.

"I'll pay for your drink?" Chad answered feebly, his assertion sounding more like a question.

Gabriella gnawed on the inside of her cheek, crossing her arms as she shrugged, "Fine."

Chad's eyes widened in surprise, twinkling. "Really?"

"Yeah," answered Gabriella in a monotone voice.

"Awesome," Chad grinned, her compliance earning him an ego boost. Maybe the _Chadster_ hadn't lost his skills after all...

"M'lady," Chad held out his arm for her to link onto in his attempt to be chivalrous. With a sigh, she linked arms with him and followed his lead towards the bar table. As Gabriella accompanied him back to the bar, she noticed Sharpay pressed up against the red brick wall with a man who looked significantly older than her resting his hand on the curve of her backside. Shaking her head, Gabriella wondered to herself if there was anything in this world that the infamous daring Sharpay Evans would _not_ do.

Everyone back in New York all knew how much Sharpay liked to party and hook up, and while Gabriella accompanied her friend to parties occasionally, she wasn't spotted at the hottest Downtown Manhattan clubs every Saturday night. It was merely typical that Sharpay would thrust her partying ways upon her even when in Europe. Approaching the bar, Gabriella willed herself not to look over at Troy's direction even when she felt his intense stare at her.

If he wanted to play this game, then so would she.

"What'cha like?"

"_Negroni_," Gabriella leaning her head to rest on Chad's shoulder as she pointed at the cocktail she wanted from the menu.

Chad turned to the barista, about to order when his eyes caught sight of something he enjoyed _very _much and instantly, his eyes were glued to her chest. Anyone within a 20 feet radius could see Chad's blatant stare at her chest, and Gabriella couldn't help but roll her eyes at his typical male antics.

"Negroni," Gabriella ordered herself before pointing at the star struck boy whose afro hairs seemed to curl in excitement, "Charge him."

The barista nodded, reaching out to pour gin, sweet vermouth, and bitters. After preparing the drink, she slid it over towards Gabriella, ignoring the fact that Chad was practically undressing her with his eyes. Gabriella grabbed the drink, shoving it down her throat in order to both quench her throat and help lighten her mood from the disappointment

* * *

Several seats away and separated by four men, Troy stared furiously at Chad. He clenched his jaw, restraining himself from striding over there and claiming her as his when she seemed too absorbed in the halfwit idiot who fed her the worst pickup lines of the decade.

His joke _completely_ backfired, and Troy couldn't help but think that someone up there really, _really_ hated him. He spent the entire evening searching for this beauty, and there she was, completely ignoring his presence while fawning over his best friend.

Fuck Chad and his wandering eyes.

She didn't deserve him; it was the first thought that came to his mind. In her little black dress, she looked beautiful, stunning, gorgeous, and all the other adjectives that didn't seem to do her justice. Yet there she was sitting next to perhaps the biggest idiot in the entire bar, seemingly oblivious to the hungry look in his eyes as he stared at the barista.

Fuck him. He had everything Troy wanted at the moment and he wasn't even grateful for it.

He wondered how she could possibly _agree_ to that moron buying her a drink, but more importantly, he wondered how she could pretend she never even saw Troy. Not a single wink, not even a friendly wave. Nil.

As much as he hated to admit it, he was completely and utterly jealous of Chad at the moment, which sucked immensely. Troy tried his best to control his envy, but it kept resurfacing. He felt waves of excruciating pain bother him as his best friend bought her a drink and kept his attention focused on a completely different girl. Shaking his head, he couldn't believe the feelings that arose from him towards the brunette who he just met.

Slamming his glass on the table and abandoning his wine, Troy stood and stalked towards Chad and the Brearley girl. He spent the entire evening looking for this girl, and Chad wasn't even aware that _this_ was the girl he was going crazy over.

He wasted enough time already; why waste anymore?

* * *

**AN:** Please submit your feedback so I know if you guys are enjoying this so far or not. Tips and suggestions are welcome.


	6. Surprise

**AN:** I have a problem... I've realized I'm addicted to updating this story haha. Please vote in the poll on my profile and held me decide which story I should work on more often. Thanks!

* * *

"Brearley girl!"

Gabriella turned her head to face the boy she met at the beach a few hours earlier. She felt her heart speed up its beating and willed herself to remain blase despite the fact butterflies kept resurfacing. She suddenly felt sick to her stomach and wanted nothing more than to get out of this smoky bar. The man next to Chad was smoking a cigar, his eyes glued to the screen that was showing a re-run of the Spain-Portugal game. Gabriella felt nauseous from the combination of the second-hand smoke and the sight of his stunning eyes and features. His eyes were glued to her, making her feel nervous, jittery, and uneasy all at the same time.

Beside her, she could sense Chad's discomfort as Chad attempted to mouth words to Troy, presumably telling him to leave them alone.

As Gabriella looked up, she noticed his eyes full of shock as if he was in disbelief that she was actually going to pretend that she did not know who he was. Deciding it was best to acknowledge his presence, she searched her mind for an appropriate response.

"Collegiate boy," Gabriella replied in a tone similar to his - firm and unattached.

Sitting between them, Chad looked completely and utterly confused as he looked from Gabriella to Troy to Gabriella again. Rubbing his temple, he turned to Gabriella with an inquisition.

"What the- How do you know he goes to Collegiate?"

Gabriella smiled playfully, bringing the tip of her glass to her lips and sipping on her Negroni, "Lucky guess."

Troy finally cracked an amused smile, impressed by her ability to remain both cryptic and alluring at the same time.

Chad's frown lines deepened as he muttered, "The fuck?"

The words were directed more towards himself than anyone else as Chad attempted to make sense of the series of events.

Chad then turned to Troy, "How do you know- _oh_..."

Troy smirked as the realization dawned upon Chad. Instantly, Chad turned red-faced, displaying a small amount of guilt for his attempt to snag the girl the captain has been droning nonstop over.

"Small world, huh?" Chad attempted to crack a joke though neither Gabriella nor Troy laughed. "_Wow_, I need a drink. Oh, barista, over_ here_!" Chad winked at the Italian lady who appeared to be _at least_ five years older than he was.

Turning back to Troy, Chad winked and elbowed him. "Hey, I _told ya _the Italian attracts the ladies."

Troy simply narrowed his eyes, recalling the anger and annoyance he felt towards Chad a few moments ago, "Chad, we need to talk."

Flashing Gabriella a small smile, Troy excused himself for a moment before dragging Chad away by the collar of his shirt.

"Ow, dude what the fuck?" Chad screamed once he was out of Gabriella's hearing range.

"What the _hell_ is wrong with you?"

Chad appeared to be scandalized. "What the hell is wrong with me? What the hell is wrong with _you_? Listen, man. I had NO idea she was Brearley girl, okay? So chill out. You can have her, I didn't like her that much anyway!" Chad snapped a little too loudly.

Troy gritted his teeth in anger. He was incredibly furious even though he had no reason to be. He never felt a greater urge to punch his best friend more so than at this moment. He wanted to yell at Chad and release his anger on _someone_, but he knew that his reason to be angry was not justified. It wasn't Chad's fault that he picked _her_ out of all the girls in the bar. In fact, he had no idea that she would even _be_ there tonight. Thus, he could not pinpoint his frustration on Chad nor could he put any blame on him.

Instead of yelling and fueling this brief argument, Troy ran a hand through his shaggy hair and released a groan. "God, everything is so messed up right now. God, Chad... you just _had_ to pick her, didn't you?"

Glancing back at the table, Troy noticed Gabriella twirling a stray curl idly and focusing on her drink more so than his and Chad's conversation at the front door.

Troy couldn't deal with the possibility that she may feel _something_ for Chad. No, no - it couldn't be.

Chad could have told him the truth about how he convinced her to play along, but then that would flatten his ego and ruin his male pride.

"Well, Troy. Now that the Chadster's not tied down anymore, he makes all the ladies hoot," Chad remarked cockily as Troy rolled his eyes at Chad talking about himself in third person. "If I had _known_ who she was I would've toned down on the charm a bit. I mean, you saw the chick... she was _all_ over me-"

"You're full of shit, Danforth."

"And you're a psycho jealous maniac. Don't hate, learn to appreciate!"

Troy slit his eyes. "Do me a favor and go fuck the barista or something and stay away from _her_."

Chad huffed, "With _pleasure_."

With that, the two teenage boys were about to part when they noticed a familiar mass of blonde hair blocking the view of Gabriella. Exchanging knowing glances, their eyes widened and their mouths opened simultaneously in awe.

"Holy crap, is that Evans?"

Once Troy heard Chad voicing the same thoughts he was having, he knew that he could not possibly be imagining the scene.

Troy gulped, suddenly feeling the urge to hide from the incarnation of the devil itself - the devil who broke his arm and pushed him off a wharf, throwing him into a near-death experience.

* * *

"So, I was like, no Paulo, I am _not_ going to blow you," Sharpay flicked her blonde hair over her shoulder as she stole Gabriella's drink and chugged down the remnants before slamming the glass back down at the table in annoyance, "_Ugh_, Italians..."

Gabriella shot her an apologetic smile, "Sorry that didn't work out so well for you Sharpay. But I mean, we _are_ at a bar," With one look back at Troy and Chad mid-argument she added, "Don't expect the guys around here to be classy or anything."

Sharpay sighed heavily, sticking out her bottom lip while sulking, "You're right. I'm just gonna have to do what you did and find myself my own beach cutie."

Gabriella groaned inwardly at the sound of that mention. She debated whether or not to tell Sharpay that 'her beach cutie' and his hairy friend were nothing but jerks who used her for a bet they seemed to have.

Noticing the change in her friend, Sharpay frowned and inquired what was wrong.

Knowing that Sharpay knew her all too well and also knowing the fact that Sharpay and her manipulative ways would eventually get her spill regardless of whether Gabriella told her now or not, Gabriella decided to save them both some time and just come out with it.

"He's h_ere_. He and his friend."

Sharpay tilted her head in confusion and knitted her brows in confusion for a moment before she understood what Gabriella was talking about and her eyes widened in excitement.

"Oh my God," Sharpay squealed, her head flailing about wildly in search of the hot guys. "Where? Is his friend hot? Oh my God, if he is _please_ hook...me...up!"

"They're over there in front of the doors," Gabriella mumbled grumpily, debating whether or not to order another drink then put the tab on that hairy asshole.

Sharpay twirled around to face the two boys who were staring at her with horrified expressions. Instantly, her excited smile simmered away and was replaced with an angry, incredulous look upon her face.

"Bolton and Danforth!" Sharpay hollered, her hand curling up into a fist as she turned around to face Gabriella once more, "Your beach hottie is either Bolton or Danforth? Are you fucking kidding me, Gabriella?"

Gabriella linked in confusion. How did Sharpay know their names?

Looking back at the two boys, Sharpay's sharp eyes noticed Troy Bolton himself frantically pulling the door open, planning an escapade.

"Oh, _no_ you don't," Sharpay shrieked, wagging her finger at them, "Get your asses back in here or I'll castrate _both_ of you _right here, right now_."

Gabriella stared at them, her mouth agape as her eyes spied both of them returning from the door and obeying her order. The entire bar seemed to be curiously staring at the threesome, wondering what all the commotion was about even if they didn't understand a single word in English.

What in the world was going on?

"Evans," Chad plastered a fake smile upon his face, "Always a pleasure to see you-"

"Cut the crap, Danforth," Sharpay snapped, her irises flaming in anger.

Chad's smile disappeared and a scowl adorned his face instead, "—silicon bitch."

Sharpay growled, making both Troy and Chad jump from both their spots.

"Your hair looks like a briar patch, Danforth. I keep expecting racist, animated Disney characters to pop up and start singing about life on the bayou."

Chad's mouth fell open as he pointed his stubby finger at Sharpay in an accusing manner, "You stole that line from Glee! Don't even deny it!"

"Coming out of the closet so soon, Danforth?"

"N-no!" Chad stuttered in his defense, "My m-mom is obsessed with Glee. She cougars over that F-Finn guy. He's in her fridge now. He's her motivation to diet."

"Can someone explain to me what the hell is going on?" Gabriella cut in, standing up to put herself in between the two bickering teenagers.

"How do you know Sharpay?" Troy demanded, confusion lining his face.

Sharpay laughed bitterly before digging her sharp fingernail into Troy's jaw, lifting his face up to look her in the eye. "Oh, sweetie. Gabriella's my _best friend_."

The blue-eyed boy stood there unable to move, dumbfounded.

He finally learned her name. Unfortunately, he learned her name from the blonde that he could barely stand.

_She_ was the friend of Sharpay's that he wanted to spend all summer avoiding. Ironically, all the time he spent tonight searching for the brunette completely contradicted everything he promised to himself.

_She_ was the girl his grandmother wanted so desperately to introduce him to, but he had no interest to even _associate_ with any of Sharpay's friends.

In his mind, he made up his mind to hate any of her friends before even meeting them. _Anyone_ who was friends with that bitch _had_ to be a bitch. That was the mentality that both he and Chad agreed on when they made a pact to avoid the blonde and any of her bitchy friends as much as possible this summer.

_Brearley girl_ was Gabriella, who was Sharpay's best friend.

This sucked immensely.


	7. Vespa

**Vespa**

Gabriella fluttered her eyes open only to be startled by the sight of a shrine of Sharpay - _literally_. Gabriella quickly learned that Sharpay had her grandparents wrapped around her fingers. The room was only occupied during the summers when Sharpay visited but it was adorned with pictures of Sharpay throughout stages of her life, trophies and certificates of hers, as well as photographs of her with friends.

To top it all off, there was a life-sized sculpted statue of her placed at the center of the room. Gabriella chuckled at the subtle metaphor since it was obvious that Sharpay seemed to be center of their world.

Glancing at the Grandfather Clock on the wall, Gabriella's eyes bulged when she spotted that it was 2 o'clock in the afternoon. She slept for nearly eleven hours. Turning over to her other side, Gabriella peeked at Sharpay's bed, expecting to find it empty but surprised when she discovered that the blonde was still asleep.

Mustering up the will to climb out of bed, Gabriella found herself disoriented as she stood up and stretched her arms. Rubbing her temple, she finally came to the realization that the jetlag really messed up her sleeping schedule.

Gabriella was about to toss a pillow at Sharpay's head before her eyes caught the sight of an old photo that hung on the wall of her shrine. Gabriella felt herself smile as she recognized a familiar picture of two five-year olds in graduation attire, hugging while flashing their toothy smiles. Sharpay's natural unbleached blonde hair was slightly darker and her hair was styled in two neat pigtails in the picture; her hot-pink scrunchies stood out, and seemed to foreshadow an obsession with that color in the nearby future. Gabriella's hair was medium-length and curled into smooth ringlets that framed her chubby heart-shaped face.

Tracing her finger over the frame of picture, she brushed off the dust that seemed to accumulate over time. Scanning the picture, Gabriella was amused at the extent to which they both changed over time.

Scanning Sharpay's wall for more picture, Gabriella cringed when she caught a picture of the two during their awkward preteen years. Laughing, she took note of both her and Sharpay's flat hair from an insanely _horrific_ hair-dying experience that left Sharpay's hair practically white and Gabriella's hair orange-tinted. The braces only seemed to add onto the awkwardness of the picture. For some reason, Gabriella still found the picture to be endearing. Maybe it was the fact that although the two both looked horrid in that particular picture (Thank Heavens they got over that awkward stage after Middle School), the picture seemed to express their friendship in ways words would never be able suffice. The crazy stuff they used to do together as children would forever be immortalized in these photographs.

Gabriella smiled as she came across photos of them with their other schoolmates. The wall was full of pictures of the Brearley girls in their homecoming dresses, sharing milkshakes, posing during Spirit Week, and smacking each other with pillows during Sleepovers.

One photo in particular stood out - it was a picture of baby Sharpay with a curly-haired blond-haired blue-eyed boy. Catching her breath hitch, Gabriella wondered if it could possibly be a picture of her and _Troy. _Memories of last night flooded back into her mind and she found herself grow uneasy. If they did not seem to get along, then why was this picture hanging on her wall?

"Enjoying stalking my wall, you creep?"

Gabriella jumped at the sound of Sharpay's voice and swiftly turned around. "I didn't realize you were awake."

Sharpay stifled a yawn. "I sort of woke up awhile ago. I just didn't wanna get out of bed."

"I can't believe your mom didn't wake us up," Gabriella remarked, finding it odd indeed considering Mrs. Evans was an early riser.

"Well, she knows we're jet lagged, so she probably let us sleep in for that reason. Don't get used to it."

Gabriella laughed, recalling the countless times Mrs. Evans woke up the girls at 9 AM during sleepovers and encouraged them to join her for an early morning yoga session.

Focusing her attention back on the photo of young Troy and Sharpay, Gabriella wondered to herself aloud, "I didn't know Troy had curly blond hair as a child."

She almost would have mistaken him for Ryan if his eyes weren't such a distinctive blue.

_That_ certainly made Sharpay rise out of her bed.

"What the hell are you taking about?"

Gabriella pointed at the picture framed on the wall and Sharpay squinted her eyes to examine the photo.

"Wow, that's like ages old," Sharpay muttered. "We were like five, I think. His hair darkened and straightened as he got older. He's a weird kid, I tell ya."

Gabriella forced a slight smile, deciding to remain silent. It was only a matter of time before Sharpay recalled the events of last night and burst into a tantrum.

"Speaking of weird, have you heard anything from Ryan?"

Sharpay smirked. "Speaking of stalkers, have you heard anything from Milton?"

Gabriella narrowed her eyes. "No, I have not. And no one said anything about stalkers. I would also prefer it if you did not mention him, thank you very much."

"Didja know his great great grandfather's name was Dick? Can you imagine the displeasure his great great grandmother had at stating she was Mrs. Dick Heindick?"

Gabriella blew air out of her mouth in a loud sigh. "No, Sharpay, I cannot possibly fathom the immense displeasure his great great grandmother felt having to deal with that name."

Sharpay's smirk never left her face. "Someone told me he plans to buff up for you this summer while you're away. I bet he's pumpin' iron at the gym right this minute-"

Gabriella couldn't contain her groan. "Sharpay, please _stop_."

Sharpay fell into a fit of laughter at the sight of Gabriella's horrified expression. After stifling her laughter, she finally answered Gabriella's original question. "I haven't heard from Ryan since he landed in Japan. We barely hear from him while he's at camp, it's like he disappears from the face of the earth for a month and a half."

"Gee, it makes you wonder what he does at camp."

"Don'tcha wish you knew?"

* * *

Alessandra Lombardi greeted the blonde and the brunette with wide smiles as they descended down the stairs for breakfast at 2:30 in the afternoon.

"_Buongiorno_ (Good morning)!" The bright-eyed woman greeted mirthfully as she cooked lunch in the saucepan. "_Hai dormito bene_ (Did you sleep well)_?"_

Both girls nodded even though it was apparent that they were still drowsy. Alessandra placed the contents in the suacepan into two plates and set them on the table in front of her grand daughter and friend.

"_Buon divertimento _(Enjoy)_!" _Alessandra smiled at the girls, ruffling her grand daughter's hair much to Sharpay's annoyance.

"This looks good," Gabriella commented, reaching for her fork.

"It is Tortiglioni with three cheeses instead of four," Alessandra leaned down to whisper. "But don't tell your _nonno_ that. He would be upset. We ran out of Gorgonzola and I cannot do my food shopping until tomorrow."

Gabriella tasted a piece, her mood instantly lightening as she enjoyed the exquisite taste.

"Alessandra, it tastes fabulous even without Gorgonzola."

Sharpay rolled her eyes as Gabriella sucked up to her grandma.

"_Grazie_, Gabriella, " Alessandra smiled graciously. "Do you remember my friend Loretta from yesterday?"

Gabriella frowned as she tried to recall the name in her foggy memory.

"She wants for you to meet her grandson," Alessandra stated, "Very much so."

Sharpay snorted. "Oh, she's quite aquainted with him already."

Gabriella shot Sharpay a dangerous glare as if ordering her to quiet down.

Alessandra tilted her head in confusion but continued. "He was supposed to be there to greet you two yesterday, but that crazy friend of his _forced_ him and his cousin to visit the beach instead."

Gabriella giggled at Alessandra's apparent distaste for Chad.

"Oi, his hair!" Alessandra shuddered. "Gives me nightmares!"

* * *

Gabriella grinned from ear-to-ear as she felt the sunlight shine down upon her olive skin. Stepping aside, she found herself enjoying the feeling of the sun's rays upon her. The beauty of the scenery and her surroundings simply pleasured her even more, and she couldn't wait to spend her first full day in Italy.

"_Ciao bella_," A familiar voice with a Sicilian accent charmingly greeted her. Twirling around, she came face to face with Antonio, the buff and _very shirtless_ Italian.

"Ciao! Antonio, right?" Gabriella hoped she didn't mix up his name with someone else's. Seeing him nod, she grinned in relief.

"Are you heading out to ze beach?" Antonio inquired, nearing towards her. Gabriella's eyes widened at his proximity towards her as her eyes were glued to the abs that could give The Situation a run for his money.

Gabriella gulped, "Oh, I'm not really sure. I'm sorta just waiting for Sharpay to be done with her hair and then we're doing whatever she feels like. But, uh, her hair is being very uncooperative today, so I don't even know how long it would take."

Antonio simpered at her rambling before making his way to the front door and slipping a piece of paper under the door. Gabriella's eyes followed his figure as she frowned in confusion.

"I had something to drop off for Alessandra," Antonio explained, walking towards her again and resting his hand on her shoulder. "Tell me, Miss Gabriella, have you had a tour of this town yet?"

"N-Not really," Gabriella managed to mumble. She was sure her face was flushed by now.

Antonio smiled, gesturing her to follow him. "Perfect. I will show you around, then."

He grabbed her hand, pulling her towards his Vespa, which was parked right outside the Lombardi Estate. Gabriella's mouth opened to protest but for some reason, she found no words coming out.

"You have seen these before, correct?" Antonio asked her before pulling out two helmets and handing her the second helmet. Gabriella nodded meekly. Should she really do this? Hop onto a motorcycle and let a complete stranger show her around the town?

Then again, she always _dreamed_ of riding a Vespa ever since she was a little girl and saw the Lizzie McGuire Movie. Plus the hunk that would be showing her around was ten times better looking than the hearthrob in _that_ movie.

_This isn't New York_, Gabriella reminded herself. _I'm in Italia, why not do something spontaneous and crazy? After all, I did promise Sharpay to live a little..._

With that, she made up her mind and answered Antonio with a confident smile. "I have seen these before. And sure, I would love to see a quick tour of Lido di Jesolo."

Antonio smirked in satisfaction as he replied, "Perfect. Hop on, then!"

Gabriella stared at the Vespa, her heartbeat racing at the thought of speeding through the streets on this motorcycle. Oh, it was just so _exciting_.

Antonio sat himself down in the front and gestured Gabriella to sit behind him, ordering her to place the helmet atop her head.

"Number one rule when riding a Vespa... you must hold onto me _very_ tightly," Antonio stated, winking suggestively.

Gabriella laughed, "So, I don't fall off, right?"

Antonio hesitated before answering, "Yes, exactly."

Once Gabriella firmly adjusted her helmet, she wrapped her arms around Antonio's waist and leaned her cheek on his back as his hands gripped the handles.

"No, don't sit like I am sitting. Swing your legs around completely to the other side and sit in...how you say... sideways position-"

"Err, okay," Gabriella said, slightly confused before turning on her side. "This is a little awkward."

Antonio laughed melodically, "It is how_ the girl_ usually rides on the Vespas in the ole movies."

"Oh! Right, right. The ones in dresses and high heels in those 60s movies."

"Mhmm," Antonio turned on the ignition as the Vespa emitted a loud noise, startling Gabriella.

"Just relax yourself, bella."

With that, Antonio pressed on the ignition and sped off.

* * *

"Do you _see_ that?"

Chad yawned lazily, biting into his sandwich and chewing, "Yah, Ahnonio jhust shped off wish Gabriella on his shcooter."

Troy sighed heavily. Why did he even care? Truthfully, he had no idea why he was becoming such a jealous freak. Fortunately, he rarely had to deal with jealousy in his life because he had (for the most part) anything a guy could ever want. Jealousy was a new feeling for him, one he had never quite felt to its true extent.

Now that he had been aquainted with jealousy he could safely say that jealousy was a bitch.

"How- how does she even _know_ him? I mean... d-_does _she even know him?"

"Pwobably noht," Chad replied, still chewing as he took another bite. "You know dhose Shiccilians. They're always up to no good."

Troy groaned.

"Hey man, stop it! You went all ape shit on me last night for a dare _you_ told me to do. Now you're going all ape shit on a Sicilian. Y'know Antonio, he flirts with every girl in town. That's just how he rolls."

"I'm quite aware of how he _rolls_," Troy muttered, his hands playing with an unwrapped sandwich; unlike Chad, the last thing on his mind at the moment was food. "And that's exactly why I'm worried."

* * *

**AN:** Unfortunately, I will not be able to update as frequently from now on.


	8. Oi, Those Sicilians

**AN: **In case you're wondering, Bailee is Troy's seven-year old cousin and she looks like Bailee Madison from a couple of years ago.

* * *

**Oi, Those Sicilians **

"And then- and then Missy was all like, 'You don't even have any proof that you've been in one! I bet you've never even been to Venice.' God, I _hate_ her Troy! And I need a picture on a gondola just to prove I've been here," Bailee ranted to Troy as she bit into her bagel and chewed. Her mid-length brown hair sank slightly past her shoulders, framing her round face and chubby cheeks. Troy cracked a small smile and shook his head slightly at the Elementary School drama.

"And then Missy says she goes to Switzerland every year and climbs the Alps! She's such a liar!" Bailee cried, flailing her arms. "We-we saw the mountains from the plane and I d-didn't see Missy there!"

Troy chuckled lightly, "You can't see people from a plane, Bails."

Bailee pouted, resting her elbow against the table as she used her palm to prop up her cheek.

"I bet you she's lying. She _always_ lies and tries to make _me_ seem like a liar. But I'm not one!" Bailee caught a glimpse of Chad who was busily typing away on his keyboard distractedly. Bailee caught his disinterest before deciding to include Chad in the conversation, "You believe me, right Chad?"

Chad snapped out of his fixated stare toward the computer. "Huh? What?"

"I'm not a liar, right?"

"Of course not, Bails. You're the coolest little person I know."

"Hey!" Bailee cried out in protest, shifting her hands to her hips while staring at Chad in mock anger. "I'm not little! I'm almost eight!" She defended herself, a gap between her two front teeth visible from when her two baby teeth fell out. Both Chad and Troy cracked a smile at her cute attempt at looking intimidating.

"Sure you're not," Chad said in a teasing voice before returning his attention back onto the computer screen.

"What're you doing on the computer anyway, Chad?"

"Just checkin' my wallposts from the girls who miss me oh so much," Chad winked. "Looks like the Chad charm's back!"

Bailee giggled before climbing out of her seat to look over Chad's shoulder onto his Facebook page. She snickered as she pointed her finger toward the screen, "You're a _liar_, Chad! Your last wallpost's from a boy!"

Troy sniggered at the sound of Bailee's words, "Didn't know you rolled that way, Chad."

"Hey," Chad shot Troy a menacing look, "Watch it."

"Wait, Chad. Do you have Sharpay added on Facebook?" Troy asked suddenly, rising from his spot to stand behind his shoulder as well.

"Yeah. I mean, I have her hidden on my newsfeed cuz I hate her, but I have her added."

A sudden idea popped into Troy's head. Maybe he could find Gabriella's Facebook on Sharpay's page.

"Go on her page for a sec-"

"Oh, no. No, Troy. I know what you want to do, but please, _don't_."

Troy frowned while Bailee tilted her head in confusion at the banter between the two boys.

"Chill, I just want to see if we have any mutual friends."

Chad shook his head, rubbing his temple as he handed the laptop over to Troy. "Your obsession with her needs to end before you go into stalker mode."

Troy ignored his remark and rolled his eyes, "Shut up, Chad."

"What's going on?" Bailee whined, hating to be out of the loop. Squinting her eyes, she noticed Sharpay's default - a photo of Sharpay in a red bikini taking a picture of herself in the mirror.

"Eww, do you like Sharpay?" Bailee stuck her tongue out in the air with distaste. Chad snorted before breaking into full-on laughter.

Troy cringed, "God, no!"

"My mommy said your mommy would be relieved if you did cuz you've never shown interest in a girl before-"

Chad snorted obnoxiously before bursting into wild laughter, "Didn't know you rolled that way either, Bolton."

Troy simply shot Chad the finger conspicuously before returning his attention to Sharpay's page, scrolling down until he finally came across a wallpost of hers. She was all over Sharpay's facebook - tagged in numerous photos and notes. Troy sighed heavily and sullenly - they really were best friends.

Clicking on her name, he was redirected to her page which was set on private. Her default, as expected, was drop dead gorgeous and looked as if it was professionally taken.

"Who's that?" Bailee pointed her stubby finger towards the screen while Chad inwardly resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "She's pretty."

"She is," Troy admired, dazed. Chad could no longer restrain his urge to roll his eyes.

Snapping out of it, Troy clicked onto mutual friends, scrolling down through the list. His mouth hung agape as he saw two names that stood out in particular - _Zeke Baylor and Jason Cross._

"Holy crap," Troy nearly fell out of his chair.

Bailee narrowed her eyes, poking her cousin in the gut. "Bad word!"

"Chad, grab my phone for me - _now_."

Chad scowled before doing as he was ordered. "Troy, before you do something _please_ think about what you're doing."

"Just give me my phone!" Troy snapped, grabbing an international phone card that was needed to make his call.

Chad handed Troy his phone with a frustrated look on his face. Chad narrowed his eyes as he watched Troy dial a number, waiting for Zeke to pick up his phone. After a couple of rings, Troy finally heard the familiar sound of his friend's voice.

"Troy? Hey man, how's Italy?"

"Hey Zeke. It's great... really sunny and not as rainy or humid. Listen, I have a question for you. How do you know Gabriella Montez?"

Chad resisted the urge to smack his head. Bailee giggled once more at the funny look of irritation on Chad's face.

There was a pause on the line followed by a dry chuckle, "That's a really random question."

"I know. I was just wondering."

"I love that girl, she's so sweet. I met her at some party, I think. She's the only one who actually appreciates my apple scones!"

Chad placed two fingers down his mouth, pretending to gag. Troy, on the other hand, smiled. It was relieving to know that his impression of her as a genuinely nice person was accurate despite the fact that her best friend was dubbed by many as the biggest bitch in NYC.

"And she's Sharpay's best friend! I can't tell you how many times she's been the wingman for me and Sharpay," said Zeke brightly and Troy could imagine him beaming from the mention of Sharpay's name.

"Err… all right."

"Why are you asking, by the way?"

"He met her at the beach. Turns out she's our next-door neighbor and now he's obsessed with her," Chad quipped into the receiver of Troy's phone before Troy elbowed him to back off. Bailee laughed gleefully at the death look Troy shot Chad.

"I'm not I just," Troy took a deep breath, "...like her a lot more than I should."

* * *

Loretta sauntered into the room, smiling delicately at her two grandchildren and her grandson's crazy friend sprawled onto the couch, watching Soccer.

"_Alessandra mi ha chiesto se si desidera accompagnare Sharpay e Gabriella a Venezia questo pomeriggio _(Alessandra asked me if you would like to accompany Sharpay and Gabriella to Venice this afternoon)."

While both Chad and Bailee looked slightly confused (Chad more so than Bailee), Troy understood perfectly well and bit his lip nervously. Seeing her again meant another opportunity to clear up any misconceptions and misunderstandings from last night. Then again, seeing her again meant dealing with Sharpay much to the displeasure of everyone. He and Chad vowed to avoid Sharpay, but if he agreed to this, it would become increasingly difficult to do so.

Then again, Bailee did mention her want to visit Venice again. If he was to go with her, it would seem simply rude not to invite the neighbors to come along with them. With that in mind, he made his decision.

"_Sì, Bailee voleva andare a Venezia comunque _(Yes, Bailee wanted to go to Venice anyway)_,_" Troy responded firmly with a nod. Loretta simply grinned, pinching her grandson's cheek in a loving manner before kissing his cheek and proclaiming her appreciation for his kindness and help.

Bailee perked up at the sound of 'Venezia'. Her eyes brightened instantly, twinkling. "Are we going to Venice?"

"Si," Loretta and Troy answered simultaneously, exchanging a shared smile.

Bailee squealed excitedly before bounding up towards the stairs.

* * *

Sharpay Evans stared at her appearance in the mirror in utter dissatisfaction with her hair. Since when did she have so many split ends? Why did her hair decide to pick today of all days to be a wavy mess? It was neither straight nor was it wavy - it was sort of in between and Sharpay did _not_ like the way it looked.

"UGH!" Sharpay screeched, ruffling her blonde hair in a tantrum, "I HATE MY HAIR!"

A gentle knock upon her wooden door echoed through the walls of Sharpay's room, distracting her from her hair-duty.

"Come in!" Sharpay called and looked up to notice her grandmother enter, holding a glass of refreshing iced lemon tea.

"Is everything all right? I could hear you screaming from the kitchen," Alessandra said in a concerned voice before delivering Sharpay's drink to her, hoping it would appease the blonde.

Sharpay sighed in relief and quickly thanked her grandmother for the refreshing beverage. Chugging the contents in the glass, Sharpay finished the drink in its entirety within a couple of gulps.

"_Grazie nonna_," Sharpay said, feeling herself relax. "I'm sorry for screaming. I'm having a bad hair day."

Alessandra laughed in amusement, quirking an eyebrow. "Is that all?" **  
**  
Sharpay simply blinked, "Uh, yeah."

Alessandra shook her head and contained her chuckles before reaching out to smoothen the loose strays of her granddaughter's hairs, fixing them in the right position.

"Gabriella was waiting for you for awhile before she left."

Sharpay raised her eyebrow, "Left? To where?"

Where could she have possibly gone on her own? It wasn't like she knew the town well enough yet to know how to get back to the Lombardi Estate, so why would she venture out on her own?

Alessandra shrugged her shoulders. "I just saw her on the back of Antonio's motorcycle and then she was gone."

Sharpay bore the most baffled expression upon her face, one mixed with disbelief and anger.

"What the _hell_?"

Alessandra simply shrugged cluelessly once more. "Don't ask me. I know nothing. I assumed you introduced them..."

"No," Sharpay spit furiously. "I can't stand that arrogant _stronzo _(asshole)."

Alessandra chuckled. "Well, then. I suggest you find her or wait for her return."

"What the hell is she doing on his motorcycle? I specifically remember warning her to avoid him!" Sharpay thought aloud, scowling. "First, Troy... now Antonio? What a _hoe_!"

"Sharpay," Alessandra scolded her granddaughter, wagging her finger. "You don't say those things about your friends!"

"I'm sorry nonna," Sharpay apologized even though both she and Alessandra clearly knew she was not. "But what the _hell_ is she doing? Seriously, she's practically walking into his trap. _You_ know Antonio almost as well as I do."

"Well, how about you distract her with something else then? I was just talking to Loretta and she says her grandson would willingly show her around in _Venezia_. You two should go; I am sure she would love it! And _he_ is a good boy, unlike Antonio."

"_Oi_, those Sicilians," Both Alessandra and Sharpay stated at the same time before Sharpay finally broke her scowl and cracked a genuine smile followed by a giggle.

* * *

Gabriella felt her hair blow in the wind, unable to stop the mirthful laughter that escaped from her throat. She felt so free, so alive. Nothing could compare to this feeling, nothing could be better.

Antonio sped way past the speed limit through the streets, showing her the best hotels in the town, the beach house he stayed at, the Pista Azzurra Go-Kart circuit where the most famous international Go Kart competitions took place (and apparently the place where anyone could rent a kart during the off season).

He rambled on and on about random facts about Lido di Jesolo and the celebrities that were spotted vacationing in northeast Italy. He swiftly sped past through the ruins of Old Jesolo, which seemed to display artifacts of the early settlement of the area that was forgotten as the area transformed into a tourist resort. He even mentioned the existence of a water park in close proximity (Aqualandia) and encouraged her to visit it before her departure.

As the tour came to a conclusion, Antonio sped back to the Lombardi Estates to drop Gabriella off.

"Thank you so much, Antonio. That was a lovely tour of the village, I can't thank you enough."

"You're more than welcome," Antonio flashed her a toothy grin before he was cut off by the shrill shriek of an infuriated blonde.

"GABRIELLA, WHAT THE FUCK DID I TELL YOU?"

Gabriella's eyes widened in alarm as Sharpay stomped across the lawn towards her and Antonio. Sharpay, who finally opted for a headband to solve her hair dilemma, made a thumping noise with her Apepazza ankle boots as Gabriella climbed off the Vespa. The exasperated blonde stamped her foot twice and suddenly Gabriella saw the reflection of the spoiled five-year old who ripped the heads of all her Barbies off whenever she did not get her way.

"Huh?"

"Don't you dare 'huh' me-"

"Ciao Sharpay," Antonio greeted her with his infamous suggestive wink.

"Ugh," Sharpay merely ignored his seductive wink, knowing his slimy intentions. "_Arrivederci _(Goodbye), Antonio."

"You," Sharpay pointed at Gabriella, her eyes fiery. "Have a damn load of explaining to do."

* * *

**AN:** Next stop is Venice. Fun times and flirtation lies ahead! ;) Thank you for the reviews and encouragement, it really helps motivate me to update faster.


	9. Venezia

**Edit: **Just out of curiosity, how many people would be in favor of me creating a little scrapbook with photographs that go along with the story?

**Venezia**

"Sharpay!" Gabriella shouted as the blonde swept past the grass in the backyard towards the Lombardi garage. Gabriella breathed in a heavy sigh as she traced Sharpay's path, knowing her best friend intended to give her the silent treatment for disregarding her warning of staying away from Antonio.

Sprinting toward the direction she saw strands of blonde hair blowing in, Gabriella managed to follow Sharpay's trail.

"Sharpay, stop being so dramatic!" Gabriella called out weakly as she dodged several trees, scavenging towards the garage.

Gabriella heard the slam of the garage door as the blonde entered inside. Gabriella simply blinked and stood there awkwardly for a couple of seconds before the garage door opened. Out of the garage, the engine revved and Sharpay emerged on a pink Vespa, a studded pink helmet grazing the top of her blonde head.

"Get on bitch, we're going to Venice," asserted Sharpay, pushing the designer glasses that were resting atop her head down onto the tip of her ski-slope nose.

* * *

"Chad," Bailee giggled as she pulled on the boy's arm in an attempt to pull him off the scooter. "You can't drive! Troy's gonna! He's been driving this since like two years ago."

"C'mon, man!" Chad sulked, staring up at Troy with sad puppy eyes. "I've driven a truck and a golf cart before, I think I can handle a fricken scooter."

Troy raised an eyebrow in doubt, "You drove a _truck_?"

"Yeah," Chad lied gracefully, playing with the horn on the Vespa, "Under the Lincoln Tunnel. Now hop on and let Master Danforth lead you to Venezia!"

"And let Master Danforth get lost when he realizes he has no idea how to _get_ there then _crash _my grandfather's Vespa... hop off, Danforth."

Chad gritted his teeth. "Hop off mah dick, Bolton."

"Hey!" Bailee smacked Chad on the forearm with her map of Venezia, "Stop it!"

Before Chad had any chance to retaliate, a loud squeak from the side of the road interrupted the conversation. The two boys blinked oddly before realizing the squeak came from Sharpay's horn.

"Let's go assholes, hurry it up!" shrieked the prissy blonde with impatience.

Upon noticing a little girl clutching onto Troy's arm, Gabriella reprimanded Sharpay, "_Sharpay_! Don't talk like that around the little girl."

"Shut up, I'm still not talking to you," Sharpay hissed viciously. Tapping her bright red fingernail against the surface of the Vespa, Sharpay checked her hair in the rearview mirror, doublechecking to make sure her hair complied. Smiling with satisfaction, she pressed on the gas and sped off like a devil, leaving a frightened Gabriella holding on for her dear life.

After buckling Bailee in securely between him and Chad, Troy pressed on the pedal and took off, his eyes focusing on the pink Vespa maniacally maneuvering down the road.

Shaking his head in disbelief, Troy muttered to himself. "No wonder it took her four tries and a tip from her daddy to get her license."

Chad grinned, loving the feeling of the wind fluffing out his 'fro. "C'mon, speed it up Bolton! You're driving slower than mah grandma on her elderly scooter!"

Troy shot Chad a bewildered look. "Those things aren't built to move fast!"

"Watch the road!" Bailee screeched as they narrowly missed a truck. Chad let out a girly shriek, higher in volume than Bailee's.

Troy smirked at Chad's yelp. "What's the matter, Chad? Afraid of trucks? Thought you drove them _all the time_."

Chad reached out to cover Bailee's ears before retorting, "Eff you, Bolton!"

Bailee squirmed under Chad's touch until he released his palms from her ears. She pointed her stubby index finger towards the Pink Vespa cruising around in lazy semicircles. "Look! She looks like she's gonna crash."

Chad grinned with a dry chuckle, "I would certainly love to see _that_."

"Dude," Troy responded to the jab, "Not cool. Gabriella's on the Vespa too."

Troy, Chad, and Bailee could hear the loud cackle that erupted from the blonde who drove her Vespa wrecklessly.

Chad chortled. "She must be insane like legally."

"Not gonna argue with that..." Troy trailed off.

A few meters ahead, Gabriella screamed at every swerve and bump.

"WHAT THE HELL, SHARPAY? DO YOU WANT TO **DIE**?"

Sharpay swerved in front of a Tour Bus, causing the driver to honk and skid to a stop. Sharpay merely snickered at Gabriella's fright.

"C'mon, you rode the Kingda Ka with me ten times! We're cruising at about 40 mph less this time around, so chill the hell out!"

"YOU DRIVE LIKE A MANIAC, SHARPAY!" Gabriella screamed. "FOR GOD'S SAKE, STOP TRYING TO CUT OFF EVERY SINGLE VEHICLE ON THE HIGHWAY AND DRIVE AT A LEGAL SPEED."

"Oh honey, this is Italia. _Anything_ is legal."

Gabriella stared at her, baffled. "NO, ANYTHING IS NOT LEGAL. _THIS_ ISN'T LEGAL IN ANY COUNTRY- AHHH!" Her complains were cut short when Sharpay took a sharp turn, the vehicle sliding sidewards to the point that both Sharpay and Gabriella's knees almost touched the road. Within an instant, Sharpay swerved the vehicle in the other direction, setting the Vespa back upright.

Sharpay whistled, "How sick was that... just like those motorcycle races."

"YOU PSYCHO BITCH!"

* * *

After about 15 minutes of driving, the two Vespas found a nearby parking space. Sharpay's Vespa halted to a sharp and abrupt stop. Gabriella released a deep breath and folded her hands, whispering a quick prayer to the heavens for letting her survive the ride of her life.

"Oh, stop being so dramatic. I'm not _that_ bad of a driver," Sharpay defended herself, hopping off the Vespa as Troy's Vespa parked next to hers.

"Keep telling yourself that, Evans," Chad quipped. "I'm pretty sure you were the cause of at least two accidents behind you. Just sayin'."

Sharpay slit her eyes, flipping Chad off. Gabriella breathed in and out in an effort to calm herself before hopping off the scooter. Never in her life had she been so relieved to feel the solid ground beneath her feet as she stood there disoriented.

"I can't believe I'm alive..." whispered Gabriella, running her fingers through her wavy locks. "Oh My God, I survived!"

Troy smiled subtly, finding her fretting both amusing and cute at the same time. Noticing the look on his face, Chad elbowed Troy, urging him to break his stare before she noticed. When Troy failed to comply, Chad rolled his eyes and shook his head in exasperation.

Bailee giggled, earning Gabriella's attention.

Gabriella smiled at the small girl, waving. "Hi there. What's your name?"

"Bailee," She answered in a sing-song voice.

"Well, nice to meet you, Bailee," Gabriella grinned at the adorable girl. "I'm Gabriella."

"I know!" Bailee proclaimed cheerfully, "My cousin won't stop talking about you!"

"Bailee," Troy hissed. Bailey merely shrugged.

Gabriella blushed, a pink tint grazing her cheeks as she sent Troy a shy smile.

"C'mon, we have to catch the next boat ride to Venice," Sharpay ruined the moment, urging the group to follow her.

Chad observed his surroundings, his features forming into a grimace. "No offense, but this isn't how I imagined Venice. I thought everything would be flooded."

"It is, Chad!" Bailee explained. "We're technically not in the heart of Venice yet but we will be when we get off the boat."

Gabriella took note of the green-blue tinted water and the startling difference of it from the royal blue color of the Adriatic Sea.

"The water's pretty dark, too," Gabriella commented as the entire group followed the blonde who sauntered amongst the crowd of stereotypical tourists in cargo shorts and oversized cameras hanging down their necks. As they finally approached the broadwalk, they noticed a ferry-like boat among which tourists were boarding for their excursion of Venezia.

"Venice is a pretty polluted city," Troy commented. "_The Laguna Veneta_ (Venice's Lagoon) is a pretty filthy waterway and you can tell from the tint of the color. They've been trying to clean it up a bit, but it's hard since most of the waste and sewage falls directly into Venice's canals."

Gabriella nodded in understanding. "I've heard about that before. That and the the sea's rising while the land is gradually sinking."

"Yeah, a lot of people have already begun leaving Venice because of that. The floods have gotten worse here as of lately," Troy stated as he crossed the gap between the boardwalk and the boat.

"Really? I thought it was something like in the next century, Venice will be nonexistent-" Gabriella paid little attention to her steps and shrieked when she felt her flipflop slip underneath the gap. Luckily, she felt a pair of strong arms catch her by the waist before the impending fall.

"Careful, there's a gap," Troy whispered into her ear, setting her back on her feet, his hands lingering around her waist a tad longer than necessary. Gabriella's cheeks turned crimson in embarrassment at her clumsy nature before thanking him.

Troy then turned his attention towards Bailee, grabbing her hand and helping her jump across the gap.

"Yay!" Bailee squeaked as she made it over the gap before running toward the nearest seat on the small boat.

"Yo! What is this?" Chad complained, throwing his hands into the air. "I thought were were gonna ride those banana boat thingies."

"Gondolas," Sharpay snarled, her hatred for him incredibly evident as she sat herself down in the back nearest to the motor and farthest from Chad.

Gabriella took the seat next to Sharpay, Troy sitting down next to Gabriella, and Bailee abandoning her current seat to move closer to her cousin, leaving Chad alone.

Chad narrowed his eyes, "Oh, I _see_ how it is. Whatever, there's those guys in striped black and white shirts and funny hats guiding the boat or whatever. Why are we in a regular boat?"

"Later," Bailee replied, confusing Chad even further. Focusing her attention back on Troy, she made an attempt to stimulate a conversation, "So what did you and Chad do last night?"

An awkward silence spread upon the four teenagers as memories from the night before flooded into their minds. Troy restrained the urge to groan while Sharpay cackled loudly, "Yeah, Troy. What _did_ you and Chad do last night?"

"Shut up Sharpay."

Bailee scrunched up her nose and quirked an eyebrow questioningly. "Did you get drunk?"

Troy chuckled at the innocence lacing her voice. "No, Bailee. I didn't get drunk."

Sharpay smirked knowingly. "Oh, he would _never,"_ Sharpay said dramatically, her voice dripping with apparent sarcasm.

Sensing the need for a change in topic, Chad jumped in to the rescue with another conversation starter. "So, Sharpay! Pushed anyone off a wharf lately?"

"Screw you Danforth!" Sharpay spit in contempt, attracting attention from many of the passengers on the boat as the motor started running and the boat gradually began moving. "And would you move your gigantic head for God's sake, you're blocking the view of Venice up ahead."

"Why should I?" Chad shot back, his tone matching hers. Gabriella sighed at the continuous banter, wishing they would both remain silent as she attempted to admire the view of Venice.

"Oh God!" Bailee playfully smacked her forehead as all the attention in the boat settled on the blonde and the curly haired boy. She stood up, shifting in between the two parties to act as a buffer.

Gabriella smiled, nudging Troy, "She's so cute."

Troy nodded in agreement. "Yeah, she has everyone in our family wrapped around her finger. She's a smart kid."

"Yeah, she seems smart for her age..." Gabriella trailed off as her voice faded. Noticing the boat moved closer to Venice, her eyes instantly brightened and she felt the urge to take a picture. Reaching into her hobo bag, she pulled out her digital camera.

"The view is so pretty from here; I'm going to try to get a picture," Gabriella explained before standing up, steadying herself against the railing as she felt the boat move up and down when it came across every bumpy wave.

"Don't trip," Troy teased her.

Giggling, she turned her head and stuck her tongue out at him, "Shush."

Turning her head back to the front, she turned on her camera and lifted it up to position it in the right spot. Unfortunately, the waves were rather wild, causing the boat to shake and jolt. This made it hard to remain firm while attempting to capture a picture at the same time.

Gabriella glanced at the image shown in her camera, noticing her hands were shaking. "It's really unsteady. I'm afraid it'll be blurry."

"Here, I'll help," Troy stood up, staggering over toward Gabriella and grabbing onto the railing as he neared to prevent himself from tumbling down. He crept up behind her, placing his hands atop hers, their forearms brushing slightly. Gabriella felt a swirl of emotion rushing through her body at his touch, shivering slightly. Lifting up the camera, he steadied her hands and pressed the button, capturing the picture at the precise angle.

"There ya go," He smiled, placing the camera back into her hands.

"Th-thanks," She said nervously, her eyes scanning the picture that displayed the outline of Venice. She finally broke into a smile, "It's a really nice picture. It's-"

A smile grazed his face as he looked down at the beauty beneath him, "Perfect."

* * *

**AN:** Thank you for all your reviews from the last chapter! Suggestions are always welcome :)


	10. Gondola & Pizza

**AN:** Thank you for all your feedback on the last chapter! I had a lot of fun writing this chapter in particular, so hopefully it shows. I'm convinced that you guys will enjoy this lengthy chapter :)

**Gondola**

Robin Jones Gunn once stated that Venezia was the city that Italy wore proudly like a diamond-studded broach on the cuff of her tall boot.

The water looked dull and dirty, and overall, uninviting. No one would dare stick their feet in unless he or she was an ignorant tourist. The city in itself was a tourist magnet; it was a remnant of the once glorious center of commerce, eminent even in Shakespeare's time. The dome-like cathedrals and exquisite bridges often portrayed in photographs seemed misleading at the sight of the narrower passageways towards areas where many individuals actually resided. The dirt, grime, and rust became increasingly evident as one traveled through the minimal areas of solid ground.

Although pollution was ever present, no one could deny that the city still possessed an aura of magnificence.

As Gabriella stared out into the lagoon, colorful buildings, and narrow canals, she couldn't help but hear the sweet symphony of the violinist playing Vivaldi's "Four Seasons". As the Italian man in stripes standing on the top of the gondola rowed the boat, she couldn't suppress the feeling of contentment.

"Hey Gondola guy! Let's speed it up a bit, shall we?" Sharpay's shrill voice silenced the music and killed the mood. "I gotta buy myself a Venetian mask!"

Gabriella frowned. "Don't you have like ten of those hanging in your room?"

Sharpay waved the thought away with the palm of her hand carelessly. "You can never have enough of those."

"I always wanted to wear one of those to the _Carnevale_. But we're never in Italy during the winter," Bailee said with a pout.

Quirking her brow with interest, Gabriella looked at Troy questioningly, "What's the Carnevale?"

"It's this big festival in Venice that usually happened four weeks before Easter. It's supposedly a lot of fun and people mask their identity with, well, a mask. It's a way to bring back traditional Venetian customs, I suppose. Back in the Fifteenth Century, people used the masks to hide their identity and social status. It's sort of like a masquerade..."

Gabriella's eyes brightened with interest as she gushed, "That's so cool! It must be a whole lotta fun."

Sharpay tilted her head, tapping her fingers against the gondola with disinterest. "Doesn't sound fun to me. Why would I hide _this_," Sharpay cupped her own face and flashed them a smile, "beauty from the world."

Chad scowled. "Why wouldn't you?"

Sharpay growled, causing the four other individuals on the gondola to cringe slightly. Chad in particular seemed to be frightened at the sight of her.

"Did she just _snarl_ at me?" Chad asked the others, his brown eyes blinking repeatedly in shock. "Dude, that legit sounded like a dog's snarl."

"Fuck off Danforth unless you wanna hear a real snarl from me. I can easily pull a Red Forman with my foot kickin' your ass."

"Okay, that's enough Sharpay," Gabriella said with a feeble attempt to calm her best friend.

"Bitch, go die," Chad mumbled under his breath, his hand leaning against the edge to feel the breeze. He did not intend for Sharpay to hear him, but unfortunately, Sharpay had ears like a hawk.

Out of rage, Sharpay stood up from her seat and attempted to balance herself as she reached over to grab Chad by the collar. The Italian man rowing the gondola stopped in his track and cursed at her in Italian to (according to Troy's translation) 'Sit the fuck down'.

"Bitch, get off me!" Chad screeched as he felt himself pulled up by the force of Sharpay. His eyes gleamed with fear at the look of fury in the blonde, swearing that she was the incarnation of the devil. Sharpay stared at him angrily with a look of ruthless determination. With a swift smack, she shoved him off the gondola. Chad lost his balance, tumbling out of the gondola with his foot caught in between the rim of the gondola. His chest constricted, barely breathing as he fell into the water of the lagoon. Troy, Gabriella, and Bailee gasped simultaneously, their mouths hanging from shock.

As Chad reemerged from the filthy water, his afro sagged and his eyes turned to slits as they glared upon Sharpay in anger.

"You bitch, you fucking pushed me off a gondola! Now I'm soaked in the people of Venice's waste products. Fuck you!" Chad screamed, gaining the attention of many tourists from nearby bridges who began pulling out their cameras and photographing the sight of the boy who fell of the gondola.

It was a rare occurrence that a customer _ever_ fell off a gondola, and if they did, it was almost always by a fault of their own for not following regulations while riding the gondola. Or in Chad's case, they were deliberately pushed off one by a psychopath.

"_Oh mio dio _(Oh my God)," The rower whined as he struggled to pull the soaking wet teenager back onto the gondola without tipping it over.

"Chad, didja break your leg?" Bailee called out in a worrisome manner as the burly man in stripes lifted the boy out of the water and back into the gondola.

Chad seethed in rage as his eyes fixated back on the blonde, restraining the urge to strangle her. His hand gripped his ankle as he cringed in pain.

"All of you - _out_! Now!" The man yelled, his voice dripping with an Italian accent as he returned to his rowing, stopping the gondola into the nearest dock.

Troy helped a wet Chad hop out of the gondola on one foot. Sharpay crossed her arms as she exited the gondola, a smirk evident on her face in satisfaction.

"Oh, stop being so dramatic," Sharpay snapped in agitation. "You should've saw it coming!"

"I'm not being fucking dramatic. My foot hurts like a bitch right now. God damn you, I think I sprained my ankle," Chad hissed as he clutched his ankle, pain shooting through a particular spot as he touched it. The group found a nearby bench to rest at.

"You need ice or something cold to press upon that," Gabriella stated instantly, recalling the time when she sprained her ankle. She helped lift Chad's sprained ankle onto the bench as she continued. "You also need to elevate your ankle."

Sharpay huffed, still unconvinced that Chad was not feigning the pain. Gabriella looked amongst everyone, searching for a piece of cloth that she could use to wrap around the swollen ankle.

"Does anyone have anything we can use to compress his ankle?" Gabriella asked the group. Sharpay shrugged indolently. Troy looked around in an attempt to find something they can use to wrap the ankle around in securely.

Within a few seconds, he spotted Sharpay's decorative scarf hanging down her neck. He rolled his eyes at the sight -_ of course_ she would wear a fancy scarf when it was 80 degrees outside.

"Sharpay, can we use your scarf?" Troy asked nervously, fearing another outburst from her.

Sharpay scrunched up her face. "_Hell_ no. I don't want Chad's _foot_ on my scarf."

"Sharpay," Gabriella pleaded with her. "C'mon, _you_ injured him. The least you can do is lend him your scarf for now."

Sharpay looked scandalized. "This scarf is _Ferragamo_, Gabriella! And I just bought it yesterday!"

Chad moaned in pain as he pressed upon his ankle but managed to speak. "Fuck you Evans."

"Sharpay, just give him the scarf or I'll tell your nonna you pushed someone into the water _again_," Troy said threateningly.

Sharpay groaned, pulling off the scarf and shoving it into his chest roughly, "_There_. Happy now?"

"Thanks," Troy replied gruffly as he turned his attention back to Chad who was sprawled out upon the bench. Gabriella drew closer to Troy, helping him wrap up the ankle.

"I'm going to go buy some more masks to display in my room now, if you all don't mind," Sharpay stated haughtily, flipping her blonde hair over her shoulder as she left the group by the bench and headed on her way. "Call me if you need me. And please, _don't_ need me."

Not a single person bothered to respond to Sharpay's remark.

Once Sharpay was out of their hearing range, Bailee sighed heavily and mumbled, "She's so _mean_."

"No kidding," Chad snapped, trying to deal with the pain that was shooting in his ankle as the scarf was finally wrapped around his ankle.

Tugging on Troy's T-shirt, Bailee's lip quivered as she asked her cousin a question, "Is Chad gonna be all right?"

Troy smiled, patting her back comfortingly. "Don't worry, he'll just need to rest his ankle from now on, but he'll be fine."

Chad sniffed his arm and made a disgusted face, "Dude, I swell _awful_."

Gabriella laughed and replied, "Well, you _did_ fall into Venice's canal, which isn't the cleanest water so I'm not surprised."

"Yeah," Chad sighed sullenly as he rubbed his stomach. "Man, I'm hungry. I'd go get something to eat but my foot hurts."

"We could pick up some pizza for you if you wanted to, Chad."

Troy knew perfectly well that there was no real 'take-out' at these pizzerias. Thought, he was pretty sure that Chad was oblivious to that.

Chad shot his best friend a grateful smile, "Thanks man. That would be great."

Troy nodded his head, "No problem. I don't really wanna go alone though," He turned to Gabriella and looked up at her with hopeful eyes, "Come with me?"

Gabriella gulped nervously, wondering how anyone could ever deny him with eyes like _that._

"Um," She stuttered. "I-I guess I could."

Bailee caught onto her hesitance and butted in, "I'll stay here with Chad so he won't get bored! You guys should go and get some pizza _together_."

Troy bit his lip to hide the smile that was currently forming. He knew that Bailee caught onto his plan - she was a smart kid.

"All right," Gabriella answered with a careless shrug, "Why not. I've been dying to try some Venetian pizza anyway."

Troy shot her a warm smile, ushering her to follow him. "Don't worry, you'll love it. It's great. Nothing compared to the pizza in New York."

"Great to know! I'm excited to try some."

She sped up to catch up with his pace, almost knocking into him as she edged over to walk beside him. At times like these, she deeply resented her uncoordinated movements and clumsiness.

She took a moment to gaze upon her surroundings until a realization hit her. She was strolling through the streets of Venice, Italy beside a gorgeous blue-eyed boy who attends her school's brother school. Their social lives back in New York undoubtedly crossed together, yet they somehow managed to spend all these years not knowing one another's existence. The irony of the situation struck her for a moment as she zoned out.

Gabriella looked up at him, her eyes focused on his chiseled cheeks, the sandy brown hair that framed his face and highlighted his sharp features. She felt a shiver run through her spine as she caught sight of his intense blue eyes. They were so light, so expressive. Though it seemed like she and Sharpay had few things in common (which was true for the most part), they both shared the same sentiment on one manner - their detest of their brown eyes. For the few times that she actually saw her father, she admired his blue eyes and wished that she wasn't stuck with her mother's eyes.

But now as she looked into Troy's eyes, she noticed the deeper and more beautiful shade that he possessed in comparison to her father. Her father's blue eyes that she always seemed to envy were _nothing_ in comparison to his.

Her thoughts were interrupted when the boy beside her finally cleared his throat and said. "So Brearley girl, any restaurant in particular that you want to go inside?"

"You know I have a name, right?" She stated with a slight edge in her tone.

Troy chuckled. No kidding, he knew her name. Her name was always on his mind these days.

"All right _Gabriella_, it's your pick," He said as he made a gesture toward all the restaurants adorning the tourist area of Venice.

Quite honestly, every restaurant looked elegant and pleasant. It was truly a hard choice to make.

"Have you been to any of these?"

Troy paused for a moment, thinking back to his visits to Venice - which certainly weren't as numerous as she thought they were.

"I don't really remember," He answered sheepishly, "But I will tell you that there's almost no such thing as awful pizza around here. So pretty much anywhere you go, you'll love the food."

She nodded her head in agreement as her eyes scanned the options. "I'm sure I will," remarked Gabriella, sending him a subtle wink, "Italian food happens to be my favorite."

Troy smirked. "Oh, really? Well, you certainly won't be disappointed."

Gabriella couldn't help but grin. She forcibly tore her eyes away from him and back toward the pizzerias. Finally spotting a quaint looking pizzeria that seemed slightly more casual than all the other restaurants, she nudged Troy and pointed toward the spot.

"How bout we go into that one?"

"Sure."

"C'mon," She grabbed his hand on instinct, leading him toward the entrance to the pizzeria giddily.

Troy grinned brightly, following suit as he gripped her hand.

"Ciao," A waiter greeted them at the front of the pizzeria.

"Ciao," Gabriella returned the greeting, her cheeks flushing as she realized that she still didn't let go of his hand.

"_Un tavolo per due, per favore_ _(_Table for two, please_)_," Troy requested in his best Italian, enjoying the look of surprise that graced Gabriella's face when she heard him speak Italian with seemingly little or no accent. He smiled in satisfaction, hoping she was more impressed with his Italian than she was with Chad's sleazy pickup line the prior night.

"_Certo, mi segua _(Certainly, follow me)," The waitress answered, urging the two to follow her as she found an unoccupied table for her. Gabriella frowned in confusion as her hand left Troy's.

"Wait, why are we sitting down? I thought were were only going to pick up some pizza for Chad and Bailee," Gabriella asked, following Troy's lead anyway.

"Yeah," Troy scratched the back of his neck nervously, "I forgot to mention that there really aren't any 'take outs' so to speak. Everyone usually sits down and drinks some wine even if it is just pizza."

Gabriella's look of confusion remained on her face as the waitress guided them to their table. "Then how will we get Chad pizza?"

"They don't have slices in Italy. It's usually an entire pie," He flashed her a smile. "I doubt you and I will finish it all by ourselves. We can just give him the leftover pizza."

"_Ecco il menu. Buon divertimento_ (Here's the menu. Enjoy)!" The waitress said to them before scurrying off to her next table. Gabriella sat down across from Troy, shooting him an incredulous look.

"Your friend just sprained his ankle and you're leaving him to wait for us on a bench," Gabriella rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "Now that's not nice."

"Hey, he has Bailee to keep him company. It's not like we can _carry _him over here. I mean, other than the fact that it would look really, really _odd, _he needs his rest right now."

Gabriella shrugged with a nod as she replied, "I guess you're right about that."

Her eyes scanned the menu, appreciating the English translation that they included for every meal.

Truthfully, she felt herself grow slightly nervous at the idea of having lunch with Troy without the company of anyone else. Not to mention, it seemed odd given the outcome of events last night.

"Though I must say, I'm surprised you're not still trying to set me up with your friend," Gabriella said, hoping to eliminate the awkwardness that surrounded around everything that occurred last night. Knowing that they would have to talk about it sooner or later, she decided that sooner was better.

Troy's eyes grew wide from confusion, "Set you up with Chad? What do you mean?"

"Chad told me about the bet you guys had last night," Gabriella said, her voice laced with a tinge of sadness as she recalled her disappointment from last night. "How you bet he could 'score a chick'."

She stared at him, expecting to see signs of guilt or regret. She was surprised to only find confusion gracing his features.

"Whoa, hold on there. You thought I sent Chad over to you as part of our bet?" Troy asked, waiting for her nod as a confirmation.

Gabriella avoided his gaze, staring down at the fabric of the table cover instead as she nodded. Troy sighed heavily, his hand rubbing his temple.

"I swear to you, I didn't purposely send him over to you. True, we had a bet, but it was to see if Chad could impress an Italian girl with his Italian," Troy paused for a second to add, "-which by the way, he cannot speak Italian. I had no clue you were at the bar until I saw him come up to you."

Gabriella finally looked up at him, noticing the sincere look in his eyes.

"Believe me, Gabriella. I wasn't trying to set you up with Chad. Everything that happened last night was a complete misunderstanding. I was, uh, actually..." Troy looked away, staring down at the carpeted floor, "...looking for you last night around the streets. I know, it sounds pretty lame, but I thought I would run into you around there. Then Chad pulled me into the bar and, well, you know the rest."

Troy bit his lip and continued with his confession. "And I really want to apologize to you for the way things turned out last night. I just... I really wasn't expecting you to be friends with Sharpay. It's just that... me and Sharpay have a lot of history together... and it's not very good."

"You were the guy that she droned on and on about," Gabriella blurted out. "She used to talk so highly of you for a couple of summers. Then she told me she pushed you off a wharf and you broke your leg. I had _no_ idea that was you. I want to apologize, too... on behalf of Sharpay."

Gabriella's eyes finally made contact with his. "Seeing as it is unlikely for her to ever apologize. She's not that bad _usually_. I've known her since we were five, so... yeah. I know she does some awful things - like pushing you off a wharf and shoving Chad out of a gondola, but... deep down I truly believe she's a decent person," Gabriella took a deep breath, "Though I realize what she did today was completely inexcusable, I just don't want you to judge me just because I'm her friend."

The waitress interrupted the conversation as she moved towards them with a notepad and a pen in her hands.

"_Che cosa vorreste bere o mangiare _(What would you like to drink or eat)_?_"

Troy looked towards Gabriella, waiting for her to point towards the pizza she wanted.

Choosing one that looked appetizing, she pointed to the one she wanted to order.

"_Pizza margherita per favore,_" Troy ordered her request.

"What do you want to drink?" Troy leaned across the table.

Gabriella shot him a small smile, "I've always liked Pellegrino."

"Why, what a coincidence," Troy winked. "So do I."

Turning back to the waitress, he ordered a bottle of San Pellegrino to share. The waitress smiled at the two before retreating.

"Oh, and for the record," Troy continued. "I think you're pretty awesome and I definitely don't think of you badly just because of Sharpay."

He shot her an adorable smile, "I know you're nothing like her from your concern for Chad's ankle today. You're nothing but nice to him even though he was way too forward last night."

Gabriella laughed melodically, "Yeah, about _that_. He made me pretend to be into him so he could win that bet, by the way."

Troy's mouth nearly dropped to the floor, causing Gabriella to giggle at his silly expression.

"No way! What a liar, he told me that no girl could resist his charm. _Pfft_."

"I'm glad we can laugh about this now."

Troy smiled sweetly, "Me too."

* * *

**AN: **Once again, many thanks to everyone who left reviews telling me what they like about the story, what they want to see happen. I enjoy reading those kind of reviews and I'm open to all suggestions/ideas. Hopefully you're enjoying the story so far. Next up will be midnight strolls by the sea, _ooh la la._


	11. Desire

**AN:** I saw Charlie St. Cloud earlier this week and it was fantastic! Definitely recommend everyone to check it out when it comes out for the general public this Friday. With that said, I'm pushing the Midnight Stroll chapter back, so this will come first. Hope you guys enjoy it regardless.

**Desire**

"You kissed _Tyson Ritter_? As in the lead singer of The All American Rejects?"

The sound of those words from his mouth made her blush, leaving her then to wonder how it was possible for him to have such an effect on her.

"The way you say it makes it sound like so scandalous..."

Troy chuckled dryly, biting off his slice. Truthfully, he wasn't exactly enjoying the discussion of first kisses and past relationships, but then again, he was the one who instigated it. He wasn't sure exactly _how_ they managed to land upon this topic during their conversation, but it was still intriguing to learn about her past nonetheless.

"Sorry, it just came off as shock, that's all. I mean, wow... how many people in this world can say that their first kiss was from the lead singer of The All American Rejects."

"It's really not a big deal," Gabriella said in a small voice, attempting to downplay the situation. She took small bites from her pizza before continuing. "It was at Warped Tour and my friend and I just donated to his charity by his tent, so he leaned down and offered me a kiss..."

Troy raised an eyebrow, "Offered?"

"Yeah," Gabriella replied sheepishly. "I mean, it's not like I could've said no. That would've been even more awkward."

Troy pretended to understand by nodding his head. "And your friend...?"

Gabriella shrugged. "I think he could tell that Taylor wasn't really much of a fan..."

Troy looked amused. "So you both donate to this guy's charity, but he only offers to kiss one of you?" He paused then added an afterthought, "Well, that's not rude at all."

Gabriella rolled her eyes playfully. "Oh, _stop._ It wasn't like _that_. I mean, Taylor was dating someone at that time anyway."

Troy looked up at her with curiosity, "Taylor who?"

"McKessie," Gabriella answered offhandedly, focused on finishing her pizza. Troy's mouth hung from shock.

"You know her?" Gabriella inquired, surprise lacing the tone of her voice.

"Chad's ex. I've met her a couple of times," Troy stated before breaking out into a grin. "You and I seem to know a lot of the same people, huh?"

Gabriella's mouth was full with the pizza so she nodded vigorously as she chewed on the food.

"Who else do you know from Collegiate?"

Gabriella swallowed the food then pressed the tip of the glass to her lips, drinking what remained of her Pellegrino.

"Uh, let's see. I know quite a few people. Uh... Josh Hatchers, Zeke Baylor, Jason Cross, Milton Heindick-"

Troy grimaced dramatically at the mention of Milton's name. The pained expression on his face made her giggle.

"Not a fan of Milton, huh?" Gabriella teased him playfully.

"Yeah, never been too fond of him..." Troy admitted. "He's a know-it-all who never lets anyone have a say in classroom debates. I think he has Little Man Syndrome or something. There's something about those vertically challenged people..."

"Hey!" Gabriella interjected, narrowing her eyes at him, "Don't diss the short people."

He chortled loudly, his grin never leaving his face. "You're only saying that because you're short."

Gabriella stuck out her bottom lip, looking down at her empty plate. "Shut up, don't make fun of my height."

"How's the weather down there?" He continued to tease her, flashing her a wink and a sly grin.

She glared at him warningly, warningly intoning, "Seriously, _stop_. That's what heels are for!"

Her cute attempt to look angry and intimidating always made him laugh. He stared at her with a look of mock apology before grinning, "I'm just kidding. I personally think short people are cute."

She beamed in delight at his confession before she realized that his words could be misconstrued. She smirked before remarking saucily, "So you think Milton's cute?"

Gabriella couldn't restrain the wild laughter that erupted from her throat at the look of horror that spreading over his facial features. His mouth hung open in a stupor while his eyebrows rose closer to his hairline.

"_God_, no. That's _definitely_ not what I meant. I'm just going to shut up now..."

She smirked, "Good idea."

After a few minutes of awkward silence and sneaky glances toward each other when they thought the other wasn't looking, Gabriella finally struck up a conversation.

"So, since I spilled the details of my life already, I do think it's _your_ turn to gush. Who was your first kiss?" Gabriella stared at him intently, eager to hear the sound of a familiar name in case she knew the person.

Troy scoffed, "Mine wasn't nearly as exciting as yours... nor was it pleasant. Just some dumb spin the bottle game in seventh grade. I don't even remember the girl's name."

Gabriella pretended to pout, "Aww. That's actually really sad."

Troy merely shrugged, tossing the leftover crust aside onto his plate. "It wasn't special in the least bit, so why should I bother recalling it?"

Gabriella tilted her head, silently musing his words. It made some sense, she had to admit.

After devouring two slices of the Venetian pizza, Gabriella's stomach was full. She wasn't surprised to discover that Troy was in fact right - the pizza was definitely tastier than typical pizza in New York. She and Troy quickly finished the bottle of Pellegrino soon after then stood up, ready to return back to Chad and Bailee with their leftover slices.

Upon exiting the restaurant, she felt Troy pull her hand towards a certain direction.

"C'mon, I know another route we can take," Troy said to her, deliberately leaving out the part about that said route being a tad bit longer than the route they took to get to the restaurant.

Gabriella simply nodded her head and followed Troy's direction. Her head swayed sideways, admiring the colorful buildings and stone bridges.

"I'm assuming you've heard of the Rialto Bridge?"

Gabriella nodded excitedly, "Yeah, of course! When we were in the gondola, we sailed under it, didn't we?"

"Yeah, we did. C'mon, let's cross it."

They walked in sync with one another as they came upon the two arches of the Rialto bridge. Gabriella felt the unpleasant feeling of the large portion of pizza that she consumed stuck in her stomach. She suddenly felt the need for some exercise.

"Hey Troy, do you like running?"

Troy frown in confusion, shooting her an odd look. Her statement seemed rather random.

"I guess? I like going for jogs every now and then and I have a lot of scrimmages to do during Basketball season, so-"

"Great," Gabriella cut him off, a mischievous tint gleaming in her brown orbs. "I'll race you to the end of the bridge!"

With that, she sprinted off towards the direction of the bridge, ready to cross it. Troy stared at her in disbelief for a few seconds, shaking his head at her spontaneity. Deciding he wasn't going to let her win with that head start, he sped off in her direction, making sure he didn't lag too far behind her.

Within a few second, he was trailing right near her. Pressing his strength even further, he managed to run up right beside her, pondering on whether or not he should let her win.

Noticing how fast he caught up to her even with her head start, Gabriella gasped. Now she was certainly determined to maneuver around the tourists that stood on the Rialto Bridge, taking photographs.

Troy simply smirked at her effort to run faster, wondering how she was going to manage to keep up her speed while making sure she didn't crash into anyone either.

Gabriella felt the rush of the adrenaline pumping through her bloodstream. She dodged every tourist hanging around the bridge and ran around the few that seemed unalarmed by her running full speed ahead towards them. She felt herself run out of breath when she noticed Troy hot on her tail, maneuvering around the crowd a tad better than she managed to. Then as soon as he reached her speed, he appeared to slow down as if not to pass her.

Even with the speed at which she was running, her mind couldn't help but search for a feasible explanation as to why he wasn't utilizing the majority of his energy to run past her. The run uphill the arch of the bridge was tough and used up most of her energy as she passed from pillar to pillar. But once she approached the center of the two archs and descended down on the second arch, running became much simpler and she need not put any effort on her feet which seemed to run on its own without much force.

It also became harder to stay clear of unsuspecting tourists as she came closer to the finish of the oldest bridge of Venetian history.

Miraculously, she somehow managed to move past every figure that popped up in her direction. Her eyes remained focused on the path, willing herself not to trip and fall flat on her face (she was notable for her extreme clumsiness), ignoring the strange looks that the tourists were casting towards the seemingly deranged teenagers racing through the bridge at full speed.

At last, the end of the bridge was visible. Troy finally put in the effort to speed past Gabriella right as they crossed the finish line. He skidded to a stop, his breath still even as if he did not just run that distance.

Meanwhile, Gabriella was out of breath and still charging ahead. From the end of the bridge, Troy crossed his arms across his chest and smirked in satisfaction as he watched her run as if the race wasn't over yet.

Running past him, she came to a halt upon a crack in the sidewalk. She placed her hand against her chest, breathing heavily to catch her breath. Once she took three deep breaths, she finally muttered, "I win."

Troy raised an eyebrow as he walked towards the spot she stopped at.

"Uh, I don't know if you noticed but I... made it here before you."

Gabriella nodded taking another breath before replying, "You did... but you didn't stop... _here_," Gabriella pointed to the area that was no longer descending down from the arch but was still technically part of the bridge.

Troy chuckled, shaking his head in disbelief, "You're just full of trickery, aren'tcha Gabriella?"

She playfully stuck out her tongue towards him. "Not my fault you can't follow instructions. I told you to race me to the _end_ of the Rialto Bridge."

"Yeah," Troy deadpanned, stepping forward to her, causing her to move backwards. "And we're no longer standing over water, are we?"

Gabriella backed away from his approaching body, suddenly feeling nervous at his close proximity. She didn't even have a remark to refute his statement. Her nerves kept kicking up, rendering her unable to think the situation through to the best of her ability.

He grinned at her uncharacteristic submissiveness, glad that she was at loss for words for the moment. He stared down at her delicate curls, wanting nothing more than to run his hands through them and taste the strawberry lip gloss that she had on.

As she moved backwards, he approached her until she was trapped against the very last stone pillar of the bridge. Her heart began to beat rapidly, thumping at an abnormally fast pace like an 808 drum. The prospect of personal space seemed to simmer as his breath drew nearer to hers and his brilliant cerulean orbs stared intensely into hers. The delicate curves of his mouth formed into a small smile at her flushed cheeks and flustered demeanor.

At that moment, it mattered not that her best friend used to have the biggest crush on the blue-eyed cutie nor did it matter that said best friend and blue-eyed cutie currently hated each other. Her mind told her that she would only dig herself into a bigger hole if she went through with the impulse that her heart was aching to make. She _knew_ that she should refrain from the action she was so desperate to make.

Nevertheless, her thoughts were lost as he neared even closer (if that was possible), closing the gap between their bodies completely.

With just one blink, his blue eyes fluttered shut as his mouth leaned down to capture hers. Gabriella felt her breath hitch, losing all consciousness of right from wrong. Her own eyes shut  
as she prepared herself for the collision of their lips. Time slowed down, making the anticipation almost unbearable for the two teenagers.

Just as their lips were about to brush, the sound of a distant yet _loud_ and familiar scream caused them to spring apart before anything happened. Gabriella's eyes widened in alarm as she recognized the voice - the voice coming from a blonde who was currently screaming at the top of her lungs.


	12. Aftermath

**Aftermath**

As the two flustered teenagers broke apart, their eyes simultaneously scanned their surroundings in a complete 360 degree angle. Gabriella's heart beat intensely like an African drum. Her eyes were full of fear, assuming the worst had happened - Sharpay spotted the two in a questionable position and was appalled. When Gabriella's eyes caught sight of the tousled blonde hair, she was relieved to find that Sharpay was not staring straight at them, instead keeping her attention focused on something on the ground.

A flicker of hope went through her that by some chance, Sharpay did not notice their encounter. She certainly wished that Sharpay did not spot them for fear that all hell would break loose when Sharpay Evans unleashed her wrath. Getting involved with Troy seemed almost like taboo - just another unspoken rule of Sharpay's.

"There she is," Troy breathed out, his eyes spotting Sharpay seconds after hers.

Though nearly thirty feet away from Sharpay, they both heard her curse loudly. Tourists walking across the bridge seemed to stop and gawk at the blonde, wondering what all the commotion was about. Gabriella and Troy soon understood that she wasn't yelling at them but at her shoes.

Sharpay leaned against the railing as she took off one of her heels, swearing like a sailor. Even the tourists who did not speak English seemed to understand her foul language through the tone of her voice and her body language.

"She broke her Jimmy Choo heel," Gabriella announced unnecessarily since it was quite obvious as the blonde stomped through the remainder of the bridge barefoot, "She's pissed."

"I can tell," Troy mumbled quietly, silently thanking his stars that Sharpay did not witness what just occurred - well, was _about_ to occur.

They both stood in their place awkwardly for a minute, their stares glued to Sharpay's path as if it was the most fascinating observation in the world. Truthfully, both were too embarrassed to face each other after the heat of the moment that was ruined by the blonde herself.

Sharpay's angry scowl did not diminish even when she saw Gabriella and Troy. Her expression did not change and the two instantly tensed, fearing that she _did_ see something she should not have.

"My fucking heel cracked on that god damn bridge. I _knew_ I shouldn't have ordered these shoes online," Sharpay grumbled as soon as she approached them, pointing to the broken heel of her right shoe. "These probably had a defect or something. You can't trust anything from the internet these days!"

Gabriella released a sigh of relief, wiping imaginary sweat off her brow. Sharpay cocked an eyebrow curiously, wondering what made her so nervous. Her eyes scrutinized every contour of her face before noticing the matching expressions of guilt, annoyance, and embarrassment that graced both Troy and Gabriella's face.

"What's going on you two?" Sharpay's hawk eyes grilled them both relentlessly.

"We were just - um. We just b-bought pizza for, uh, Chad and them. We, uh, felt bad that he can't move r-right now and - yeah," Gabriella stammered. Sharpay's expression did not change, and they both knew that Sharpay noticed their nerves.

However, Sharpay being herself, she quickly dismissed the thought from her mind and brought the attention back to herself as she burst out into a rant. "Karma's a bitch! I bet you I broke my heel just because Chad fell out of a fricken gondola-"

"Maybe you shouldn't have pushed him," Troy quipped in defense of his friend.

Sharpay peered at him menacingly, "Fuck off Bolton. He had it coming to him. No one calls me a bitch cept for me!"

"Yes, because it definitely makes sense to shove a guy off a boat and sprain his ankle for calling you a bitch," deadpanned Troy.

Sharpay shot daggers at him, "You want to be _next_?"

"Sharpay," Gabriella cut in, chastising her. "Calm down. Hurting anyone's not going to make you feel any better."

"Don't _tell _me what to do."

Gabriella shoved a package of cold leftover pizza toward Sharpay's chest. "Here, maybe lunch will make you feel better."

"Nothing's gonna make this shit day any better. Let's just get the hell outta here before I get a splinter up my foot," Sharpay spit rudely, grabbing the box of pizza and shoving a piece of the pizza inside her mouth anyway.

Troy sighed heavily, lagging behind the two girls as they made their long route back to the area where Chad and Bailee were waiting.

God damn Sharpay and her impeccable ability to ruin everything.

* * *

"So, what have you two been up to?" Chad wagged his eyebrows inconspicuously, his shiny white teeth plastered into a sly smile as both Troy and Gabriella attempted to support his weight while retreating back to the area where the Vespas were parked. Bailee strolled alongside them while Sharpay, still angry at the world, trudged in front of them at a fast pace despite walking barefoot.

Troy stifled the urge to groan, knowing it wouldn't be appropriate to complain to Chad about Sharpay while Gabriella was nearby.

"Pizza's good," Bailee remarked, her chubby cheeks strained with pasta sauce. "Didja have fun?"

Troy paused, pondering whether or not to sound nonchalant. Not knowing how to respond to that, he replied indifferently, "Sure."

The small smile on Gabriella's face slowly disintegrated at the tone of his voice - devoid of all emotions. It was as if he had forgotten everything that was about to happen half an hour ago out on the Rialto Bridge.

"You don't sound too thrilled. That boring without me, huh?" Chad joked.

Not a chance, Troy wanted to say. If anything, he was thankful for the short amount of time that he spent alone with the stunning brunette.

Instead, Troy replied to Chad's comment with a dry chuckle, unaware of the frown that formed on Gabriella's face.

As Sharpay approached her studded Pink Vespa, she swerved around and looked at Gabriella expectantly. Gabriella finally caught her gaze, instantly understanding that she was waiting for her to catch up to them so that she would get on the backseat.

A flash of horror appeared on Gabriella's face as she remembered Sharpay's wreckless driving.

"What'chu starin' at me for?" Sharpay snapped with an attitude, still irritable from her broken heel. "Get on!"

"Oh, _hell_ no. I am never riding the same vehicle as you if you're driving _ever _again," Gabriella replied in a frank manner, matching Sharpay's attitude.

Sharpay laughed bitterly, placing her hands upon her hips. "Oh, really now? Last time I checked, you don't even _know_ how to operate a Vespa, so that eliminates the possibility of you driving. And just how do you plan on getting home if you're not getting on with me, hmm?"

Gabriella stood silent, a sense of resignation settling upon her as she realized she had no other choice.

Troy caught the desperate look on her face and butted into the conversation as he blurted out the words without thinking them through, "She can ride with me!"

Sharpay, Chad, and Bailee's eyebrows all rose by a centimeter at the sound of Troy's eager voice. Even Gabriella looked shocked.

"I mean, if she wants to," Troy corrected himself, the upbeat tone of his voice dissolving as he trailed off.

Chad's mouth opened in protest, "And just _who_ am I gonna catch a ride with?"

Everyone remained silent until Chad figured it out for himself.

"Are you fricken kidding me?" Chad shouted angrily as he realized he had only one other option - to ride with Sharpay. Chad turned to Troy, shooting him a pleading look, "Dude, do you seriously expect me to ride with _her_." Chad emphasized the name dramatically as Sharpay rolled her eyes. "She pushed me into the lagoon for God's sake! That woman needs to attend anger management classes, no lie!"

The sound of Bailee's girlish giggle only fueled Sharpay's anger.

"Oh, stop being such a pansy, Danforth. It's not like I'd crash the car on purpose and kill you in the process!"

Chad looked terrified as he turned back to Troy, "Do you _see_ that! The Sadist is going to _murder_ me, Troy. This is all one sick ploy to lure the injured, defenseless boy with the _magnificent _hair into her trap - AKA the Devil's vehicle - and kill him."

"This is _ridiculous_," Sharpay bellowed, gritting her teeth. "You're making me sound like a fucking ax murderer. Just get on already and you'll be lucky if I don't push you off into the middle of the highway _roadkill_."

Chad grew more hysterical by the second, "Do you _see_ that? She pushed me off a gondola! What makes you think she won't push me off a Vespa and then deliberately run over me? _Please_, spare me! I have so many years left to _live_."

"Chad, she's not going to kill you. That would be illegal. Just get on the Vespa," Troy said calmly, beckoning Chad over towards Sharpay.

"I've lived a good seventeen years!" Chad cried out dramatically, waving his left hand in the air. "Goodbye, world!"

"I'll miss you, Chad!" Bailee called out as she walked towards her cousin's Vespa. Her bug eyes looked up expectantly at Troy, raising her hands in the air so that he could lift her up and sit her down in the middle between himself and Gabriella.

"Troy, I don't feel right about this. I mean, Chad's already injured his ankle. As much as I don't want to go through the horrific experience that I did earlier this afternoon, I don't want to inflict anymore pain upon Chad-" Gabriella rambled before Troy smiled reassuringly at her, placing his hand on her shoulder before cutting her off.

"Gabriella, don't worry about it. His driving's not any better than Sharpay's whether he realizes this or not so I'm sure he'll be fine."

Gabriella sighed, her heartbeat racing from his simple touch on her shoulder. She looked genuinely guilty for forcing Chad upon Sharpay, Troy observed.

"Are you sure? Cuz I guess I could handle another ride of Sharpay's - maybe if I tried really hard not to get sick-"

The sound of Sharpay's engine revving cut her off this time.

"Hey, I said don't worry about it. It's gonna be fine," Troy whispered into her ear, his hand running down the length of her arm comfortingly before tugging on her wrist, ushering her towards the Vespa. Bailee sat in the middle, looking over her shoulder and grinning at their display of affection.

"C'mon guys, hurry up!" Bailee squirmed in her seat, motioning them to come over faster. "Chad and Sharpay are already on the road!"

"Coming Bails," Troy answered her call, his hand gripping Gabriella's as they made their way towards his Vespa.

Troy climbed up in the front as Gabriella settled into the back. Bailee leaned back onto Gabriella, frowning. "Aww, you don't have a beer belly like Chad!"

Both Troy and Gabriella cracked up, bursting into fits of laughter.

"I'm serious!" Bailee turned back to face Gabriella as she continued her explanation, "Chad claims he has 'rock hard abs' but he's really a pile of mush!" She paused before adding an afterthought, "Troy says it's from all the beer Chad's been drinking since Basketball season ended."

"Hey," Troy rebutted with a chuckle as he pressed on the pedal. "I never said that."

"Yuh-huh, you did!" Bailee exclaimed accusingly, "Remember? It was when Chad was posting a shirtless picture of himself online right before you clicked on Gabri-"

"Right," Troy deliberately cut her off before she completed the sentence. "I remember now."

"_Mhmm_! You better not forget again, mister!" Bailee reprimanded him, wagging her finger at him.

Bailee twisted her upper half around to face Gabriella before whispering imperceptibly, "_Psst,_ I think he likes you."

Gabriella felt her cheeks flush as she flashed Bailee a small smile, not bothering to suppress a giggle.

"Bails, you know I'm right in front of you, right?" Troy's voice rang out with a tinge of annoyance. "I can hear everything you're saying."

"No, you can't!" Bailee declared loudly. "This is a private conversation, Troy! Butt out!"

She turned back around to Gabriella, whispering again, "See, he didn't deny it! He _definitely_ likes you."

* * *

**AN:** Check out the poll and vote to decide what you guys want to see happen!


	13. Moonlight

**Moonlight**

"So, what you're telling me is that the infamous bachelor of Collegiate wants to finally bag a girl?" Chad whistled. "The day has finally come! The Apocalypse is here!"

His joke referred to playful banter back in the winter where the guys inquired as to why Troy remained single for the majority of his high school years despite the numerous amounts of girls throwing themselves at him and occasionally hooking up with a select few. Rumors had circulated all over Collegiate as well as a few of the all girls schools like Chapin and Brearley that he was gay, but truthfully, Troy never found any girl worth his attention especially during Basketball season. One of the guys from the team jokingly stated that if Troy ever did end up with a girlfriend, it would be the Apocalypse.

"Dude, chill out with the ghetto talk. I'm not gonna _bag_ anyone."

"Having second thoughts?" Chad guessed. "I would too if I was in your position. Hooking up with a girl on vacation is one thing but when you know she lives in the same city as you? Shit gets complicated. Think of how awkward it would be when you're home and you two grow apart."

Troy sighed heavily as he walked through the front door, flopping down onto the leather couch. He rubbed his temple, wincing as he felt a sharp piercing pain run through the delicate skin on his forehead. There was only one explanation - he was sunburned.

"I'm not worried about that. I'm worried more about what Sharpay would do to me if she found out that I even _remotely like _her best friend."

The content look on Chad's famous transformed into a scowl at the mention of the psychopath who in fact _did_ attempt to get him off her Vespa, claiming his afro curls blowing in the wind were tickling her neck and distracting her from driving.

"Speaking of that bitch, I hope you're happy," Chad brown eyes glared at Troy, pointing to his sprained ankle that was now wrapped up. "I died a little inside during that rough ride while you were too busy _wooing_ Gabriella."

Troy snorted at Chad's word choice, chuckling slightly. "Wooing? Really, Chad? We're not in the sixteenth century."

"Hey," Chad objected in his own defense as he sat down on the couch next to Troy, "You're the one who doesn't want me to use the term 'bag'."

At that moment, Loretta entered the room, carrying a bowl of assorted fruits. She smiled at her grandson and his best friend, offering them some grapes and cherries.

"_Perché stai seduto sul divano_ (Why are you sitting on the couch)?" Loretta complained, setting her hands on her hips while frowning. "_Si dovrebbe essere al di fuori, come altri adolescenti (_You should be outside like other teenagers)."

Chad shrugged, not understanding Italian. He threw a grape into his mouth lazily.

Troy moaned, rubbing his aching forehead. "_Sono stanco_, _nonna_ (I'm tired grandma)."

"_Smettere di essere pigro_ (Stop being lazy)," Loretta scolded him with her wagging finger, "_Dove sono Sharpay e Gabriella_ (Where are Sharpay and Gabriella)?"

Troy shrugged in response, truthfully not knowing what the two were up to since their return home. The two didn't mention any of their plans earlier in the afternoon.

Loretta seemed unimpressed with the gesture, her eyebrows lining into a frown.

"_Portarle fuori a cena, Troy (_Take them out for dinner_)!" _Loretta demanded, pointing her index finger at him. The look on her face silently warned him of the dangers of disobeying her will, and he knew that he would have to comply no matter what.

With a helpless sigh, Troy nodded at her and replied, "_Sì, nonna_."

When she heard the confirmation, the stern look on her face eased and a smile took its place until she noticed Chad spitting out the seeds from the cherries onto the carpet.

"_E dite al vostro amico che è disgustoso_ (And tell your friend that is disgusting)!" Loretta spit, glaring at oblivious Chad. With that said, she swerved around in her tracks and stomped back into the kitchen to make her husband a sandwich.

Troy groaned once Loretta left, "Dude, stop doing that. It's disgusting."

"_Whaaaa_?" Chad asked in confusion while chewing a grape in his mouth and swallowing. "I can't get the seeds into the bowl. I was just practicing my bball skills with _my mouth_."

"Yeah, well your ticking off my grandma, so I suggest you stop."

"Your grandma can be annoying..."

"Italian grandmas are the worst. They have an opinion on _everything_ and constantly try to meddle in their grandsons' lives," Troy murmured. "For the past few years, she hasn't stopped encouraging me to go out with Sharpay."

Chad cocked an eyebrow curiously. "Even when she broke your leg?"

"_Nonna_ just thinks she was playing hard to get," Troy rolled his eyes. Sharpay was way too forward - there was no way she could ever bring herself to play _that_ game. "My grandma sees a lot of herself in her youth in Sharpay and simply adores her."

"Ew," Chad grimaced, remarking, "Your poor _nonno_ (grandpa)."

* * *

"I think Bolton's finally realized that he's into me."

Gabriella's felt herself choke on her gum, her right hand instinctively reaching out to touch her neck. She blinked for a few moments, stunned at how Sharpay could possibly have come to that assumption.

"Wh-what?" Gabriella managed to voice weakly. "Why do you think that?"

Sharpay tilted her head, frowning her brows as if she was in deep thought, pondering over the circumstances and its underline meaning. Her bright red fingernail wrested against her sharp chin as her brown eyes scanned around the scene in front of the restaurant they just dined at. The boys were inside, claiming they needed to use the restroom when the four all knew that it was for other reasons.

"Think about it. Out of the blue, he calls me and invites us out to dinner..." Sharpay declared, a confident smirk gracing her features. "It's so obvious that he's finally realized how much hotter I've gotten this summer, and now he wants me. The evidence is all there."

An uneasy feeling settled in Gabriella's stomach as she merely shrugged. "Don't you think that's a precarious assumption?"

Sharpay looked at her in confusion. "What?"

Gabriella rolled her eyes at Sharpay's limited vocabulary. "Never mind..."

"Whatever. All I know is that if he wants to hook up this summer, I'm not gonna stop him," Sharpay stated cockily, reaching into her Fendi clutch to pull out her lip gloss. After applying the strawberry lipgloss and rubbing her two lips together, she turned to Gabriella and asked, "Did my lip gloss smear?"

"No," Gabriella lied.

Sharpay grinned widely, satisfied. "Perfect!"

At that moment, the doors swung open and Troy and Chad emerged from the restaurant. Chad maneuvered around with the help of his crutches, his knee bent so that his sprained ankle did not touch the ground. Sharpay smiled flirtatiously, batting her eyelashes in hopes of catching Troy's attention. Troy, however, had his eyes glued to the vibrant screen of his cell phone.

On the other hand, Chad noticed the look Sharpay cast at Troy. Quirking an eyebrow, he curiously asked Sharpay, "Do you have something in your eye, Evans?"

Sharpay finally gave up, crossing her arms across her chest. "No, I don't, Danforth."

Troy finally looked up from his phone, his blue eyes catching the gaze of Gabriella's eyes. His hand rubbed the back of his neck nervously, silently wondering if they would ever be able to get over the awkwardness of the interruption. As they exchange intense stares at each other, Troy finally formed his lips into a friendly smile, which she responded to with a weak smile shot toward his direction.

"I wanna get wasted tonight," Sharpay's high pitched voice once again cut through the tension, causing both parties to look away and focus their attention toward her instead.

"I never thought I'd agree with you, Evans, but I do too," Chad mumbled, staring down at his hurt ankle. "I just want to drink the night away and forget about what a shitty day today has been."

Sharpay raised an eyebrow, her mouth hanging open slightly. "Wow, you took the words right outta my mouth."

Chad elbowed Troy, "What about you, Hoops? You in?"

"Uh," Troy hesitated to answer, contemplating different excuses he can feed Chad until he found a reasonable one. "I'm not really in the mood for another hangover tomorrow morning, just sayin'."

"Ah, fuck that," Sharpay waved the thought away as her brown eyes ogled Troy. "Troy, you _know_ my _nonna_ has a kickass herbal remedy. Works better than the wheatgrass shot at Jamba Juice!" Sharpay stepped forward in her three-inch heels, the added height enabling her face reach higher and stare at Troy face-to-face. She smiled coyly, adding a wink in there directed at Troy.

"I'd really appreciate it if you came with me, _Troy_," purred Sharpay, her manicured hand reaching out to cup his jaw while her other hand caressed his right cheek. Her long fingernail dug into the flesh of his skin as she licked her lips seductively, her eyes studying a change in his expression, searching for a glint of mischievousness in his cobalt eyes.

In response to her touch, Troy flinched as memories from two summers ago and the menacing look in those eyes flooded back into his mind. He turned his cheek away until her sweaty palm slid down his face and fell to her side. The sound of his name on her tongue sickened Troy, who used his hand to push her body away as gently as possible.

Troy frowned in a puzzled manner. Just this morning she was rude to him, throwing jabs at him and Chad left and right. Now all of the sudden she was throwing herself at him. Beside him, Chad stood on his crutches with a bewildered look on his face, his thoughts matching Troy's.

_Women... _Troy thought to himself as he exhaled a deep breath.

"Sharpay-"

"_Shh_," whispered Sharpay, slowly lifting her index finger up to press against his lips.

"I'm just going to head back," Gabriella blurted out suddenly, causing three sets of eyes to stare at her questioningly. She gulped, trying to ignore the dry feeling in her throat and prevent the salty tears from pouring out.

"I'm still feeling a bit jet lagged," lied Gabriella, casting her eyes down to stare at the sidewalk while twirling a strand of her hair nervously.

Sharpay cocked an eyebrow. "What the hell? Are you bailing on me?"

"I'm just going to crash. Have fun, though. I know my way back now," Gabriella pointed in the direction of the Lombardi Estate with a fake smile on her face and a small wave. With that, she swerved around and began speed walking back to the house.

"Bye, bitch!" Sharpay bid her farewell. "I'll probably end up drunk dialing you later!"

"Gabriella!" Troy called out to her, only to see that she sped up her pace. He released a heavy sigh before pulling away from Sharpay's tight grip much to her annoyance before following after her. As he ran down the sidewalks of the crowded dim streets, dodging tourists on every side he felt a sense of déjà vu.

Chad stood there with a baffled expression on his face, shaking his head.

"Fucking whipped," Chad murmured to himself before edging towards the sidewalk on his crutches, waiting for a safe moment to cross the street and avoid being run-over by speeding Vespas.

Sharpay shouted at Troy before he disappeared from her line of sight, "WHEN YOU COME BACK, MAKE SURE TO MEET UP WITH ME AT THE BAR ACROSS THE STREET!"

She received no response. Shrugging, she followed Chad's lead and prepared herself for one hell of a night.

* * *

She had no idea where she was going, to be honest. At first, she thought she recognized the quickest route back to the house but now she was almost positive that she had gotten lost. All she saw was a dark and narrow alley ahead. She slowed down, her head turning as her eyes scanned her area, searching for familiar surroundings that would give her a clue about her location.

Turning right on an alleyway, she was pleased to find that from the small narrow path, the beach was visible by the moonlight. Releasing a sigh of relief, she felt her nerves calm down. At least she knew her location now...

Behind her, she heard the echo of footsteps hot on her trail. Gulping, she secretly hoped it was Troy who (last time she looked behind her shoulder and checked) went after her and not some Italian hooligan that Sharpay claimed tended to hang around the desolate alleyways in the middle of the night.

She turned around to face the shadow in the moonlight, breathing a sigh of relief when the silhouette looked familiar.

"Gabriella!" His voice rang out, nearly out of breath as he approached her cautiously. "Wh-Where are you going?"

She bit her lip, taking small steps to minimize the distance between them. "I d-don't know. I... um... got lost..."

"The house is a couple blocks from here in a completely different direction," He breathed out.

She remained silent, at loss for words.

"What happened there?" Troy mustered the courage to ask even though he had a small clue as to what it could have been. "Are you okay?"

She shrugged, not knowing the answer to that herself, "Maybe I just need to take a walk."

He nodded in understanding, falling into step beside her as they walked down the narrow path that led to the beach.

"Wanna tell me what's on your mind now?" His blue eyes pierced through her tan skin, sending shivers down her spine. He mistook this for a sign that she was shivering from the chilly breeze of the night.

"You cold?" He inquired. She shook her head no. "You sure?"

"I'm fine, I promise. And I don't really know what made me bug out. I guess it was just what Sharpay told me earlier."

His eyebrows scrunched up in curiosity. "Which was...?"

Her eyes stared down at her toes from the heels that she wore. Unlike Sharpay, her heels only added about an inch to her height, meaning he still towered over her.

"Just that you invited her to dinner because you were into her and all of that..." She trailed off, putting in her best effort to sound as nonchalant as possible and refrain from using a distasteful tone.

Troy snorted, "She really said that?"

Gabriella lifted her head off the ground, staring up at Troy. A feeling of hope overwhelmed her. Maybe Sharpay was wrong. Maybe he didn't like her whatosever. Maybe her best friend was delusional. All of those options were plausible.

Gabriella replied with a nod.

"Wow," deadpanned Troy. "Definitely not. I could never handle a girl _that_ high-maintenance anyway. I'll leave that job to Chad or Zeke."

As the two walked at a slow pace, they gradually neared the sea.

"I'll be completely honest with you. My grandma suggested the idea that Chad and I take you two out for dinner... just to be polite."

"Oh," Gabriella nodded in understanding, finding that explanation to make much more sense than anything Sharpay presumed.

"I mean, not that I wouldn't mind hanging with you again," Troy made an effort to correct any misconceptions that she may formulate in her mind. "It's just that neither Chad nor I are a big fan of Sharpay, so we wouldn't willingly take her out to dinner."

She giggled as he grew flustered. "Don't worry, I understand what you mean."

She silently reprimanded herself for letting her emotions get the best of her. She wondered why she didn't just think about the situation rationally instead of crumbling with the unpleasant feeling of jealousy as she watched Sharpay flirt with Troy. Why on earth would he even tolerate her after the stunt she pulled today?

She came to a realization that this sandy-haired boy made her nervous, jittery, and all kinds of happy. His mere presence caused all rational thinking to abandon her as her emotions took over instead. And now with the way his blue eyes peered down at her made her feel as if she was the only girl on the entire planet - the only one who even mattered. The adoring gaze he shot her made her want to melt into a puddle under his touch. Her rational thinking warned her that she was being crazy. After all, she only knew this guy for two days. How could she possibly falling under his spell in such a short amount of time?

These thoughts plagued Gabriella's mind as they two made their way to the sidewalk beside the sand.

"For what it's worth, I'd much rather hang out with you here than drink the night away with Chad and Sharpay," His husky masculine voice breathed into her ear, causing the ends of her delicate mouth to form into a smile.

"Likewise," She answered, her hand brushing against his. She fought the urge to interlace their swinging hands together just to touch him. "I'm not too into the party scene."

"I wish I could say that I'm not," chuckled Troy. "But most of my friends are so I usually find myself at a party on a Friday night."

"I remember I went to a party with Sharpay once sophomore year. It was at somebody's pent house - I didn't even know the person hosting it. She hooked up with three guys one night and contracted Mono."

He laughed mirthfully. "Are you _serious_?"

She cracked a small smile. "Yeah, then I ended up having to nurse her back to health and that experience just turned me off to parties altogether. I mean, I probably go to one once a month when Shar drags me. Just not every weekend. I'd much rather spend my money on a concert than attend a party of some random kid I don't even know. It's kind of gross when you think about it, hooking up with so many people in one night."

"You have a point there."

"You know Jason Cross right?"

"Yeah, he's on my basketball team."

"Were you at his birthday party?"

Troy paused to think in an attempt to recall whether or not he attended.

"I most likely was. Honestly don't remember anything that happened that night though. But then again," Troy chortled. "It's Jason. No wonder."

"He ended up screwing two girls in his closet that night - separately of course."

Troy frowned. "You were there?"

She nodded in confirmation.

"That is so weird," Troy brushed his hair to the side. "I feel like I would have noticed you if you were there."

"Nah, you wouldn't," Gabriella smiled sadly. "I'm kind of like a wallflower - rarely noticed. Then again, I don't really mind as long as I can curl up on the couch with a good book."

Troy scoffed in disbelief. "Oh come _on_, Gabriella. Is this what Sharpay brainwashes you into thinking? Trust me, you are _so _much more than just a wallflower. I mean, look at you," He gestured to her. "You're stunning, you really are. It's hard not to notice someone as beautiful as yourself."

She was shocked at the kind words that came from him but at the same time, felt bubbly and elated from his flattery.

"Thank you," She whispered bashfully, blushing.

Even in the moonlight, Troy could make out the soft tint of her red cheeks. Smiling, his hand reached down to hold hers, squeezing it reassuringly.

"I wanna show you something," He said, his hand strengthening his grip on hers. "It's a sand sculpture museum they have further down the beach."

"Okay," Gabriella found it easy to comply as she felt the butterflies flutter in her stomach every time he spoke or looked at her.

* * *

**AN: **Next chapter will pick up where this left off ;)


	14. Natural Flirt edited

_**EDIT:**_ I think I owe all my readers an apology for not updating lately. Truthfully, I can't bring myself to finish writing the next chapter. The majority of what I've written (the road trip) seems so awkward and annoying, and I wish that I didn't go with option 2 in the plot development of the last chapter (I.E. not let them kiss lol) so I'm editing the end of this chapter so that I can rewrite the next chapter and make it better. With that said, school starts for me next week and updates won't be frequent. Right now I'm just suffering from intense writer's block and I think my lack of motivation to write this is to blame. Anyway, sorry if you're disappointed that this isn't a new chapter :(

* * *

**Natural Flirt  
**

The sound of techno music penetrated through the walls of the club.

The song "Sandstorm" filled the musty, sweat-filled air.

Both Chad and Sharpay were quick to acknowledge that the club tunes played in Italy weren't too different from the songs played in the US. Considering this catchy song had no words at all, it was understandable why it was played in clubs worldwide.

"I feel like I'm living the Jersey Shore life in Miami!" Chad hollered, throwing his hand up in the air to fist pump. His brown eyes caught sight of a scantily clad blonde with wavy beach hair. His face formed into a grin as he winked at the girl. "Except there's no grenades! Woo, GFF!"

Across the room, Sharpay wasn't enjoying the scene as much as Chad, who quickly picked up some eye candy. The beats were hot, the lights were dim, the Sambuca shots flavored with licorice tasted great. There was only one minor problem - the club was full of females. The guy to girl ratio was a ridiculous 3:1, and it was really pissing Sharpay off.

Suddenly, the sound of Pitbull blasted through the speakers.

"Oh hell yeah, this is my song," Sharpay spoke to herself, abandoning her drink to strut towards the dance floor. She ignored the mass amount of females on the dance floor, deciding that nothing could deter her from drinking and dancing the night away.

"I know you want _meh_," She sang aloud, reaching into her clutch to pull out her cell phone. She frowned when she saw no missed calls or texts from Troy. Shaking the disappointment off, she swung her hips from side to side and let her body move to the beat.

Fortunately, she caught the attention of a set of eyes from afar before Pitbull's song ended. The mysterious male confidently made his way over towards her, surprising her from behind when his arms wrapped around her backside. His large hands settled on her hips as he began grinding his crotch area into her ass.

Meanwhile, the wavy-haired blonde grabbed Chad by the wrist, whisking him away before the sound of "Poker Face" surrounded the dance floor. Chad followed after her, his eyes wide and his mouth agape. The blonde proposed taking body shots much to Chad's excitement.

"I fucking love Italy," Chad murmured under his breath as the blonde whisked him away to the nearest leather couch in the lounging area.

* * *

"How far is the sand museum from here?" asked Gabriella, smoothing out the creases from her dress.

"Only a couple of minutes," He promised her.

"If you say so," She watched her steps carefully, trying her best to prevent her heels from getting stuck to the boardwalk.

Troy followed her gaze to her heels, his eyebrows rising in surprise as he noted the height.

"Your feet don't hurt in those?" He inquired out of curiosity.

Gabriella shrugged, "I guess I'm so used to wearing them, I've learned to deal with the pain."

"Wow, all of that work just to be a few inches taller?"

"Well, you can't help it if you're short," She responded. "And the only way to make up for it is with heels."

Troy pretended to nod in understanding.

"So, I've just realized that I don't even know your last name."

Gabriella giggled heartily. "Fishing for my Facebook name, are you?"

He blushed a bronze red as his lightly tanned face grew deeper in color, "I'm just curious."

"Montez," She supplied the answer to his question.

He nodded in response, repeating her name, "Gabriella Montez." A smile formed across the features as he realized he liked the sound of the name from the sound of his lips. "I've heard your last name before, I think. I'm just not sure where..."

"My mother established her own design line a few years ago," She replied. "That's probably where you've heard it from."

"Oh, I see. That sounds awesome."

A hint of sadness flashed across her face as she remarked, "It sounds a lot better than it actually is. The headquarters of her company is located in Barcelona, so she's never actually home," Her voice quivered slightly, "Not even for the holidays."

Troy frowned, noticing the dejected look on her face that she fought so hard from reappearing. "I'm sorry; I take back what I said."

She willed herself to remain calm, not letting any tears pour out from the glassy surface of her eyes. Finally mustering up the strength to look him in the eye, she raised her chin to look up at him and flash him a reassuring smile. "Don't worry about it. It's not important. I still have my dad..." She added an afterthought, "Sort of."

He cocked an eyebrow at her, rippling the skin above it. "What does your dad do?"

"He's in corporate finance. He travels frequently but at least it's not for long periods of time. He can make it home for my birthday and Christmas...occasionally."

The tinge of bitterness in her tone did not go unnoticed by Troy, who felt his heart sink at the thought of not having his parental figures home during the happiest time of the year. He couldn't imagine the pain she must feel from their lack of presence.

Noticing their hands were still intertwined, his grip on her hand tightened with a reassuring squeeze.

"That sounds awful, Gabi," Her eyes widened at the sound of the new nickname as she glanced up at him questioningly. Catching her alarm, he immediately began to panic, hoping he didn't cross any line.

"I mean, um, sorry... Is-is it okay if I call you that? I mean, um-" She cut him off before he could continue with his stammering.

"It's fine, I was just shocked at first is all," She smiled warmly at him, indicating that there was no need to worry.

"Oh, okay," He relieved a sharp intake of breath.

"They're going through a divorce right now," Gabriella didn't know what it was about him but she felt the urge to suddenly spill her guts after keeping her mouth shut about the entire ordeal for so long. She didn't even discuss this with Sharpay, who was one of the few people who knew about her broken family. "So they're both back in New York dealing with their lawyers, for now at least."

"And yet... you're here."

She nodded passively. "The irony of the situation. The one month that they're both at home, I'm not. Not like it matters, I'd rather be here than there where they're biting each other's heads off settling the situation."

He pursed his lips, eyebrows knitting together. "That really... sucks. I'm so sorry you have to go through that."

She shrugged disinterestedly, brushing the thought away with the palm of her hand. She offered him a meek smile before she spoke, "Well, at least I get to visit Italy to get my mind off it. Sharpay mentioned something about riding down the boot to see the sights."

A dry chuckle was audible from Troy's throat. "The _boot_?"

"Yeah!" She confirmed with enthusiasm, her eyes bright and doe-eyed. "Cuz y'know, Italy's shaped like a boot."

"No way," His face feigned surprise as his voice dripped with sarcasm. "Never would have guessed."

Gabriella giggled, pulling her hand away from his and using both hands to playfully shove him towards the sand, "Shut up!"

Troy grinned as he maintained his balance, ignoring the fact that sand had found its way up his dress shoes.

"What is it with you girls and pushing us guys off concrete?" teased Troy as he stepped back onto the boardwalk.

"Hey," rebutted Gabriella then paused dramatically. "At least I didn't push you into the water."

"True," Troy laughed softly, his shoulder bumping against hers innocently. Gabriella's eyes widened at the skin to skin contact that sent electricity running down her spine. Such simple physical contact sent sparks like fireworks rushing through their veins. The rush left Troy's heart beating faster and faster as he inhaled the scent of her warm vanilla sugar body spray. Gabriella fixated her entire attention upon him, her mocha brown eyes staring hungrily at him, laced with desire and yet fear for the consequences that would inevitably result from her following her gut instinct. His eyes were a brilliant blue against the red of his cheeks; it took all her willpower not to throw her arms around his neck and close the ample space between them.

The sound of several noisy teenagers meandering through the boardwalk brought both of them back to reality, away from their own little world where nothing but each other mattered.

As Troy snapped out of his trance, he cleared his throat awkwardly. Scratching the back of his neck nervously, he searched his mind for a topic to discuss that could ease the awkwardness of another interrupted moment and make him forget about what almost transpired.

"So, you and Sharpay are... uh... driving down to Florence then Rome?"

Gabriella nodded slowly, her eyes now avoiding his, knowing that every time she looked into those blue orbs, she could feel her knees growing weak.

"Cool," remarked Troy weakly, his hands settling into his pockets. "You guys should stop by in Verona, Pisa, or Bologna on your way."

"I-I... maybe... I don't really-" Gabriella struggled to formulate a response, her heart still pounding against her chest. "Sharpay calls the shots as to where we go and where we stay. I, well, obviously know little about Italy or its highways and... yeah," She finished her sentence lamely.

Troy snickered much to Gabriella's surprise. He shook his head, grinning broadly. "Sharpay? Knowing her way through Italy? That's rich."

Gabriella cocked her head in confusion, breaking her silent promise to avoid his eyes.

"That girl knows _nothing_ about the roads outside of Jesolo. Not to mention, she sucks as a driver as I'm sure you've noticed. I doubt you'd get there in one piece," He winked charmingly. "And we wouldn't want that, would we?"

She offered him a small smile as she replied, "Yeah, I'm pretty sure I'd like to live."

"Then take my advice and find another driver."

"All right," She hesitantly agreed, furrowing her brows at the realization that she didn't _know_ any drivers other than Sharpay and Troy. Regardless, she dropped the topic as she stared straight ahead towards a tent propped up against the sand.

"Is that the museum?"

Troy nodded his head, "Yep. It's only here for a few more months. It's cool though, I think you'll enjoy it."

"Hm," Gabriella thought aloud, contemplating her options. "Why not."

Troy spotted the ticket booth in the distance, ambling towards it and pulling out his wallet.

"_Ciao, due biglietti per favore _(Hi, two tickets please)_?_"

Gabriella felt her heart flutter at the sound of his smooth Italian. The deep bass of his husky tone as he uttered out those words in a foreign language made her all the more attracted to him - not that she would ever admit that to _anyone_, especially not Sharpay.

The sun kissed teenage boy in the booth nodded his head in understanding, sliding two tickets through the small space in the glass window.

"How much is it?" Gabriella reached into her Dooney & Bourke purse to pull out her wallet.

"Hey, don't worry about it," Troy slid ten Euros to the ticket box boy.

Gabriella rolled her eyes, a smile still gracing on her face. "Oh c'mon, you don't need to pay for my ticket."

"Gabriella, please," He implored, "I got it."

"But-" She protested once more only to be cut off.

"_Shh_," Troy brought his index finger to her lips in his attempt to shush her. "I know you can't read Italian but the rules specifically state to keep your voice down while inside the museum."

Gabriella narrowed her eyes. She had a hunch that he was bluffing but then again, she was in no position to challenge him in case the rules really _did _state that. At times like these, she really regretted taking French instead of Italian. Not only was she stuck with an inadequate teacher and a limited knowledge of the language, but the small amount of French she knew did not help her figure out Italian _whatsoever_.

"Stop pouting," Troy ordered her in a playful tone, grabbing a hold of her wrist to usher her into the depths of the museum of sand sculptures. "C'mon, just smile. It suits you well."

Her cheeks flushed beet red and the thought of whether he was just a natural flirt crossed her mind. Upon walking into the museum, she noticed sand - _lots of it_. Sculptures of animals and mythical creatures stood immortalized by the sand. In the center of the tent, stood a tall giant mountain of sand that appeared to be fifty feet tall. Amazed, the curve of her mouth finally formed into a smile much to Troy's delight.

While Gabriella admired the scenery and sand sculptures, Troy's intense eyes rested on her, intrigued by the changes in her expression as she scrutinized every sculpture. The tint in her cheeks from his flattering earlier still remained, making his heart swell with pride knowing that he was the one to elicit such a response from her.

"I take that back, blushing suits you even more," charmed Troy, his voice sounding alluring and captivating to her ears. He was trying to kill her, she concluded.

Gabriella scanned the crowd inside the tent, quickly taking note of the noisy chatter. Purposely diverting the topic of the conversation, she stuck her tongue out at him. "You liar, you said the rules said we'd have to be quiet. You totally just said that to get me to shut up."

Troy smirked, nodding before admitting, "Pretty much."

He suddenly leaned down towards her ear, whispering gently into her ear, "But how do you know I made the rule up?"

"I can scream and find out."

"Don't," He warned with a whisper, his body in such close proximity that Gabriella could feel the steady breathing against her ear.

Gabriella gulped uncomfortably as her body began to react to his presence. By this time, both of their gazes were no longer set upon the gnome outlined by sand. The abrupt ring tone of 'Airplanes' interrupted the heated moment. Troy cursed under his breath as he reached into his pocket to pull out the vibrating phone. His eyes narrowed into slits as he released a heavy sigh upon noticing the sender of the text message. The last thing he needed at the moment was more interruptions.

_From: Chad  
Message: duuudeee soo fucked up rite now hooked up with the hottest chick_

Troy snorted, rolling his eyes before setting his phone on silent and shoving his Android back into his pocket. Gabriella subconsciously checked her own phone for the first time in the past hour, noticing she had three texts from Sharpay (all of which were hard to decipher from her misspelling of every other word).

"Our friends are having fun," commented Gabriella as she put her iPhone away. "I'm assuming Sharpay's on her fourth drink by now."

Troy refrained from making a remark about how Sharpay was most certainly _not_ his friend despite the number of times their grandmas tried setting them up.

"C'mon, let's get a picture of you next to the Michelangelo sand sculpture over there," Troy pointed his index finger towards the sculpture which was currently surrounded by a group of giggly girls fawning over it while the camera flashed.

"Oh God," muttered Gabriella under her breath in mortification. "Taking a picture next to a sandy naked biblical King. Not awkward at all," She deadpanned.

* * *

"What the hell are you doing here Antonio?" Sharpay spat into his face as the stench of alcohol filled the air.

"Oh, you a know I just come here for little fun," Antonio smirked, his hand clutching a glass of wine as he stared at a very drunk Sharpay, who despite being out of it and having to hold onto a table to keep her balance, still clearly remembered his face and how much she wanted to punch it. After all the crap he put her through, screwing her over all those years ago, she wanted absolutely _nothing_ to do with him.

"You fucking stalker. You probably followed me here," Sharpay snarled at him, her right hand reaching out to shove him away from her. This became more difficult as she felt herself wobble on her own two feet.

Antonio reached out to steady her, placing his two rough hands upon her shoulders.

"Easy there, Sharpie."

"Don't call me that," Her voice dripped with venom as she pointed to her sharp stiletto, "You lost the privilege to fucking call me that long ago. Now move the fuck away unless you want me to shove this up your dick. I'll make it hurt more than gallstones."

Antonio grimaced at the gruesome details drunk Sharpay yelled at him. The words that came out from sober Sharpay were awful enough but drunk Sharpay had absolutely no filter.

"I ask simple question. Where is your friend - Isabella was it?"

Sharpay felt dizzy, her vision becoming hazy. This in combination with Antonio's heavy accent resulted in heavy confusion.

"The fuck are you talking about Tony? I don't know no Isabella. Get the fuck away from me," She pushed past him and towards the dance floor, her hands reaching out to grasp the person nearest to her on the dance floor to prevent herself from tumbling down.

On the opposite side of the dance floor, a little less wasted Chad Danforth was enjoying his night a lot more.

After scoring two chicks' numbers, making out with a vivacious vacationing Swedish blonde, taking body shots off the stomach of said blonde, and teaching two Sicilian models how to fist-pump guido style, Chad concluded that today was the best day of summer thus far.

Spotting a new group of chicks enter the bar, Chad made his way off the dance floor toward the barista that he blatantly hit on the night before.

"Aye, _chica_," Chad winked at her obnoxiously, "Make yourself useful and order a round of drinks for those ladies who just sat down over there."

The barista stared at him blankly before crossing her arms across her chest. She narrowed her eyes at him, shaking her head in disgust.

"What, did they not teach you English in school?" Chad spoke rudely, "Deliver. Drinks. To those girls," His fist pointed to the area they sat down in.

The barista grabbed the nearest bottle, pouring in a small amount of alcohol into a shot glass. Lifting up the shot glass, she flicked her hand in the direction of Chad's face. The contents spilled out towards his face, burning his eyes. "_Fack a you_, _gustafave_!"

* * *

"You've never gone night swimming?" Troy's laughter echoed through the dry night air as both he and Gabriella stepped out of the tent. He shot her an incredulous look, which she responded to with a shrug.

"Never really had the opportunity, I guess. I get cold easily so I prefer swimming when the sun's out and shining."

"Montez, you have no idea what you're missing out on," Troy's grin never faltered as he edged towards the sand, slipping off his shoes.

Gabriella stared at him with wide eyes and disbelief. Her mouth hung open as she struggled to voice her thoughts, "W-we're going f-for a swim?"

Troy smiled reassuringly, "We don't have to if you don't want to. Just come, the cool sand feels nice against your feet."

She simply nodded, following suit with his wishes as she bent down and carefully removed her heels. Once she stepped into the comfort of the sand, she sighed in relief and beamed at the therapeutic feeling of the grains of sand against her toes after all that time spent in her heels. The slight moisture and coldness in the sand from the lack of sunlight relaxed them both.

Troy smirked knowingly, catching the look of relief plastered across Gabriella's face, "I told you."

He walked, drawing closer to the source of the current as Gabriella trailed behind him, her eyes glued to his back. The waves sloshed against the shore, the water appearing to be dark even in the moonlight. The moon shone brightly in contrast to the darkness of the night sky. The moonlight made the sea sparkle like diamonds on the edge of the world; the temptation of one to immerse himself or herself in the dark abyss increased by the second. The beach was secluded, abandoned in contrast to the crowdedness of it in the day time.

"It's beautiful," She breathed out, her eyes exploring the faintest trace of light on the horizon. It was a cloudy night, so the starlight shone in the sky with a shrouded glow. Nevertheless, she could pinpoint plenty more stars in the sky here than she could ever dream to imagine back home. Her ears could hear the sound of the waves crashing against the rocks, the tide a lot higher due to the full moon. Her eyes then fell to rows of wharfs leading out into the sea. As she stared at the wharfs, she could only imagine the eerie sight of a riled Sharpay advancing toward Troy and forcing him into the water.

The disturbing image led her to shut her eyes tightly in an effort to erase the thoughts from her mind.

"Tell me what you're thinking," He whispered sensually, his hand resting upon her waist as his arm drew her in closer to him protectively.

She was scared to flutter her eyes open in fear that this was all a dream – a figment of her imagination. But she knew it couldn't be a dream when she perceived the scent of his cologne mixed in with the fragrance of the salty seashore and the misty air.

"I'm thinking about how perfect this feels," whispered Gabriella almost inaudibly against the fresh air. She was overwhelmed with the conflicting sensations she felt. In the back of her mind, she knew this was wrong. She knew that she shouldn't be here, that this shouldn't be happening. She knew Sharpay would beat her to pulp if she ever found out. She had every intention of stopping him but she couldn't.

She leaned into his touch as his soft hands pushed loose strays of her dark wavy locks behind her ear. His hands snaked around her wrist, pulling her tight against him as he lowered his head to hers and leaned in. Her hands instinctively shifted towards his chest right near the heart, feeling the rhythm of his pulsating heartbeat. His hand reached out to cup the soft skin of her cheek, raising her chin up to meet his. Her eyes fluttered shut as she braced herself for the impact. Swooping down, he took a leap of faith as his lips sealed hers. Gabriella felt herself melting into a pile of mush against him as her mouth moved against his in a soft and gentle kiss, his firm arms supporting her weight. The kiss soon grew with intensity as his lips pressed more firmly, resulting in a more heated kiss. In response, her arms traveled up his back and snaked around his neck, pulling him even closer into the fervent kiss.

When breathing became a necessity, the two pulled away breathless, silently wondering if the other could hear their rapid heartbeats. Gabriella's eyes stared at his questioningly, silently conveying the question, '_What now?'_ He silently answered her by offering her a small smile before pressing his forehead against hers, their noses subtly brushing.

As Gabriella stared into those blue orbs that shined with the joyous light of the moon, she knew that this was a start to something new and beautiful.


	15. Falling

_**IMPORTANT NOTE: **_I made some VERY important changes to the ending of the last chapter. Before you read this, I advise you to reread the ending of Chapter 14 so that you're not lost. Anyway, I'm so very sorry for my lack of updating. I sorta forgot about this story and it's not my main priority now that school has started. My AP classes and extracurriculars have been hogging up most of my time lately. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy this cute little chapter :)

* * *

**Falling  
**

_A week later..._

"Why does God hate me?" Sharpay screamed dramatically, launching her entire body on top of the plush cushions of the couch in the family room. She buried her head beneath a comfortable pillow, blocking out the noise of the world. Gabriella stood next to the sofa, leaning against the arm rest as she gnawed on the inside of her cheek idly.

When Sharpay finally removed the pillow, she hoisted herself up by resting her body weight against her forearms. Her infuriated brown eyes looked up to stare at Gabriella with annoyance.

"Why does my grandma suck so much?" cried Sharpay in hysterics, her head sinking down to stare at her painted fingernails. "I can't believe she's doing this. I mean, WHY? Why would she invite Bolton and Danforth with us on our drive down Italy?"

Gabriella shrugged her shoulders, hiding a smile from surfacing at the thought of seeing more of Troy. The two grew closer ever since the kiss by the sea, and within a couple of days, they already had an endless number of insiders. While Sharpay and Chad were off getting trashed, Gabriella and Troy spent the nights strolling through the boardwalk, stargazing, and stealing a few kisses here and there. They hadn't put a label on their relationship yet but they both agreed to take things slow and see how they go from there.

The past week was filled with the minimum amount of drama; if there was any, it was usually instigated by Sharpay.

"After what that jerk did to me!" Sharpay spat distastefully, her lip curling into a scowl. "Leading me on and crap!"

"Hey," Gabriella butted in. "He didn't do anything to you. You tricked yourself into believing that he liked you when he didn't. You should probably clear the air with him. Y'know, finally _apologize_ for what you did two years ago," Gabriella subtly suggested. Both she and Troy agreed to keep their 'relationship' a secret from both Chad and Sharpay for awhile. Gabriella used the term 'relationship' loosely for she still had little idea on what exactly they were classified under. She wasn't his girlfriend yet she knew that she definitely did not want to be one of his summer flings.

"I can't believe you're on his side now!" Sharpay accused her with an incredulous tone, her finger pointing at Gabriella's direction in blame. "So much for chicks before dicks!"

Gabriella rolled her eyes in annoyance. "I'm not on anyone's side here. I'm just saying you haven't exactly done anything worthy of his respect so I don't understand why you expect him to like you."

Obviously, Sharpay wasn't pleased with her response. Chucking the pillow at Gabriella's head, Sharpay slid off the couch before stomping out of the room, her stillettos clicking away with every step.

* * *

"I can't _wait_ to see daddy!" Bailee squealed excitedly as she sat down on her stuffed suitcase in an attempt to fit all her clothes in the overstuffed suitcase and zip it up.

"I can't wait to see Rome," Chad remarked, random articles of clothing scattered atop his afro. "I can't believe your rents are chill with this. My parents would never let me do this shit."

"Chad," Troy reprimanded him for what seemed to be the millionth time.

"Sorry," Chad shrugged innocently, "I can't help it if I have a potty mouth."

Troy rolled his eyes before walking over towards Bailee to help her zip her bag.

Bailee's grin widened as she thanked her cousin. Her chin lifted up to look at him in the eye, "So, what's the first stop, Troy?"

"Let's check, shall we?" He smiled at her warmly before edging towards the table where the map sat. Picking it up, his eyes briefly scanned the route that they would travel upon from their departure in Jesolo.

"Hm, we'll stop in Padova first to walk around and grab a snack. Then we can stop in Verona for lunch. And then we can drive the rest of the way to either Milan or Bologna depending on where the girls want to go."

"They're gonna say Milan," Chad answered instantly. "Fashion capital of the world. Go figure."

"I've been to Milan before!" Bailee declared proudly. "Last year! It was okay. Lots of cathedrals."

Chad grimaced, his eyebrows furrowing. "See, me and historical landmarks don't deal well. I'd rather be out partying or on the beach, not visiting cathedrals."

Troy smirked, containing his laughter as he patted his friend against the back. "Sorry to break it to you Chad, but the majority of the attractions in Italy consist of cathedrals."

"Ugh," Chad groaned, the palm of his hand rubbing the ache in his forehead, "Fantastic."

At that moment, Loretta entered the room alongside Lucille. Lucille smiled warmly at her son and niece, attempting to finish their packing before the big day.

"You have all our numbers, right Troy?" Lucille questioned. "And you'll call if _anything_ goes wrong?"

"Yes, mama," Troy answered obediently in a sweet tone as he abandoned his suitcase to walk over to his mother.

Chad snickered at his behavior, messily throwing a T-shirt inside his own bag.

Lucille quirked an eyebrow, "You promise to call everyday?"

"Promise," Troy answered without hesitating. Lucille smiled in satisfaction, wrapping her arms around her son in a hug.

Troy smiled, gladly returning the hug.

"I'm going to bed. Since you're leaving early in the morning, I just wanted to say goodbye," Lucille bid her farewell, ruffling her son's hair.

"Bye mom, I promise I'll call as soon as we get to a hotel," Troy reassured her, pulling away from the hug.

"All right, goodnight sweetie. Take good care of Bailee," Lucille flashed the seven-year old a warm smile. "Make sure you call _tuo zio_ (your uncle) when you arrive in Roma."

Her gaze then shifted to Chad, who was busily battling the zipper on his bag. Lucille rolled her eyes at his aloofness, stating, "And make sure Chad doesn't get into too much trouble."

Chad sprang up, suddenly attentive. He blinked for a moment before her words fully settled in. "Hey, I resent that!"

Lucille laughed kindheartedly before wishing them a safe trip and returning to her quarters.

Loretta stayed behind, exclaiming, "_Buon viaggio _(Have a good trip)!"

"_Grazie, nonna_," Troy replied before embracing his grandmother in a hug as well.

"_Prendersi cura delle ragazze _(Take care of the girls)," Loretta whispered into his ear. Troy knew that was her subtle message to look out for both Sharpay and Gabriella as well as Bailee. Troy nodded, indicating he understood her instructions.

"_Buonanotte_ (Good night)," Loretta finally vocalized to the entire group, flashing them all a smile and a wave as she exited the room.

"Geez, Bolton. Is your entire extended family going to stage a goodbye ceremony for you before you've even left?" Chad remarked jokingly, throwing two pairs of jeans into his suitcase.

Troy chuckled drily, responding with a shrug. "My family's pretty tight knit. And I'm not going to see them for another two weeks, I'll probably miss them."

"Me too!" Bailee interjected, propping her elbows against Chad's bed. "But my dad's in Rome right now and I haven't seen him in_ forever_! Mommy's letting me come with Troy so I can visit daddy."

"He's letting us stay with him for a few nights," Troy told Chad, "It'll save us heaps of cash."

"Cool," Chad replied offhandedly, finally zipping up his entire suitcase. He smiled victoriously at his accomplishment. "I'm done!"

The sound of a ringing telephone echoed through the walls of the room. Chad's eyes shifted towards the black vintage phone near his nightstand. He bit his lip, looking at Troy questioningly, "Uh, should I get that?"

Troy shrugged lackadaisically, "Why not."

Chad picked up the phone, mumbling into the receiver. "Uh, _ciao_?"

Troy snorted while Bailee attempted to stifle her quiet giggles.

"Oh, _Gabriella_," Chad's mouth formed into a casual smirk as his eyes darted towards his best friend whose back suddenly stiffened, "Hello."

Springing up from his comfortable position in the bed, Troy rushed towards the nightstand where the rotary phone rested against the wooden surface. His eyes stared pleadingly at Chad to hand over the phone.

Chad grinned evilly as he elbowed Troy's reaching hand away from his body.

"Nah, he's not here right now. He's taking a dump," Chad asserted into the telephone, causing Bailee to burst out into a fit of laughter and Troy to glare at him with the intensity of a blast furnace.

"Give me the _phone_," Troy whisper-roared, his hand gripping the phone in an attempt to pull it away from Chad's strong grasp. Finally, his strength overpowered Chad's and he managed to grip a hold on the phone, pressing it against his ear.

"Hey, sorry about that. Chad's being an idiot," Troy spoke into the receiver, plopping down onto Chad's bed. Chad simply rolled his eyes and sat up, muttering some incoherent words under his breath. Chad grabbed his toothbrush from the night stand and marched out of the room to brush his teeth.

Upon Chad's exit, Troy let out a sigh of relief at knowing that Chad could no longer listen in on the conversation.

"So, what's on your mind, beautiful?" The words flowed right out of his mouth, causing Bailee's eyes to bulge and her mouth to drop open. Noticing the reaction of his cousin, Troy mentally cursed himself for forgetting about Bailee's presence. _Crap_.

Bailee dropped her stuff on the floor before jumping onto Chad's bed, crawling next to Troy and pressing her ear against the phone that Troy held to his ear.

Troy cocked an eyebrow, frowning before addressing Bailee, "Bails, what do you think you're doing?"

Caught like a deer near headlights, Bailee flashed him a cheeky grin, the gap between her recent fallen baby tooth noticeable.

"Nothing," Bailee stated innocently in a sing-song voice.

When Bailee heard the chatter from the other line, she stared up at Troy questioningly as if she expected him to repeat what was just spoken.

"Oh, Bailee just basically crawled onto my lap and tried to listen in on our conversation," Troy responded into the receiver with a dry chuckle.

"Tell her I say hi!" Bailee exclaimed excitedly, grinning brightly. She paused with an afterthought and added, "Oh! And tell her, '_I told you so_!' "

Noticing Troy's confusion, Bailee elaborated on her statement. "Y'know, cuz I told her you liked her and you do!" Bailee giggled and rolled her eyes playfully, "But you silly teenagers never listen to me."

Troy shot her a look of annoyance, covering the receiver of the phone with his hand, "Don't you have some place to be right now? Like in your own bedroom sleeping? It's late and we have to wake up early."

Bailee crossed her arms across her chest and pouted, "Stop trying to get rid of me!

"Bailee," Troy pleaded. "Please just give me a few minutes?"

"Hmph!" She huffed in discontent, hopping off the bed and stomping out of the room in similar fashion to Sharpay.

Troy let out a relieved breath before releasing his hand from the receiver.

"Sorry about that. She stomped out of the room angrily."

"_Why is she angry?"_ Gabriella's melodic voice rang through the telephone eye, causing a lazy smile to surface on Troy's facial expression.

"I kicked her out."

"_Troy_!" She scolded him playfully, making a genuine grin surface on his face.

"Well, I can't have her listening in on us and then rushing to tell Chad about it. You know Chad can't keep _anything_ to himself so sooner or later, Sharpay would find out."

She giggled and he was pretty sure it was music to his ears.

"_That reminds me, Sharpay hates you now because you apparently led her on."_

Troy cocked an eyebrow, a disgusted expression forming. "What the hell?"

"_Yeah, I'm not sure how she came to that assumption either."_

"Yeah..." Troy drawled awkwardly, "I have nothing to say to that."

"_I hope you guys can at least get along on the trip though._ _Ooh, I'm _so _excited for tomorrow, Troy! You have no idea how much it means to me that you're coming along!" _She exclaimed cheerfully. _"And now none of us have to deal with Sharpay's road rage!"_

They both laughed at the insider, remembering Sharpay's attempts to get rid of Chad in the back of her Vespa.

"No problem, Gabi. You know I love spending time with you so I really intend to make sure you have the vacation of the lifetime before the struggles of senior year come along."

He heard her sigh wistfully at the mention of school. Nevertheless, she thanked him repeatedly, _"Really, Troy. Driving down the length of Italy is like a dream come true. And being with you is just an added bonus. I don't think I can be any happier."_

Troy felt his heart flutter at her words. He knew he could never admit this to Chad but he always found himself blushing around her and even her voice over the phone had the power to make him do so.

"Honestly, I don't think I can be any happier about this either," Troy remarked. "I just hope that we can get some time alone in the midst of all of this. Being around bickering Chad and Sharpay for long periods of time can be rather frustrating."

"_Yeah, I know what you mean. Don't worry, we'll find a way to set aside some time,"_ She reassured him. Suddenly, a shrill scream was audible over the line. "_Ah, I'm sorry for cutting this short Troy but I have to go. Sharpay is pissed about something and you know how she gets! I'll talk to you tomorrow!"_

"Oh," Troy responded, slightly disappointed. "Well, it's all right. Good luck dealing with one of her temper tantrums again. I'll see you tomorrow, bye!"

When he finally put down the phone, he lied down on Chad's bed. As he stared up at the ceiling, he attempted to collect his thoughts.

A girlish voice interrupted his thinking a few seconds later.

"Just so you know, I wasn't gonna tell Chad about this!" Bailee stomped back into the room the minute Troy hung up on the phone. Troy raised an eyebrow at her timing before realizing she must have been eavesdropping.

"You little sneak!" Troy sat up on the bed, pointing his finger in an accusatory manner. "You were spying on my conversation, weren't you?"

"_Duh,_" Bailee said dramatically, "I'm practically your little sister. It's like my job to spy on you."

Troy merely shook his head, brushing his hair away from his eyes before climbing off the bed.

"_Nonna_'s gonna be really happy about this!" Bailee exclaimed excitedly, clapping her hands. "She was worried you'd end up forever alone!"

Befuddled, Troy stared at her oddly. "_What_? I'm only seventeen."

Bailee shrugged. "And I'm only seven but I have friends who've already had boyfriends. You like barely ever date! It's about time!"

"Dating in second grade?" Troy asked incredulously, unable to contain his laughter. "You kids are crazy these days."

"Hey!" Bailee objected, fuming. "In three and a half years, I'll be a pre-teen!"

"Right, right. Sorry _little lady_."

Bailee narrowed her eyes, "I don't like the word little. When I'm bigger, I'm gonna date Justin Bieber!" Bailee proclaimed proudly, grinning widely.

Troy roared with laughter, inching toward Bailee to ruffle her hair. "Whatever you say, Bails. Whatever you say..."

"Hey! It'll _happen_," Bailee stated confidently, holding her head up high. "Just you watch!"

Troy shook his head, his smile still plastered on his face.

"Bee tee wubs, what exactly _are_ you and Gabriella?" Bailee asked him curiously, "Are you like boyfriend and girlfriend now?"

"No," answered Troy hesitantly, biting his lower lip. "I'm not sure what we are but... I like it," He admitted sheepishly, a red tint forming against his cheeks, "A lot. And I know this is all happening really fast but I think I'm really falling for her."

"Aww!" Bailee squealed, jumping up and down excitedly. "You-you should tell her how you feel and sing a Justin Bieber song to her! Be like, _baby, baby, baby ohh_!"

Troy snorted, biting his lip in an attempt to stop his laughter from erupting.

"Sure, Bails. Whatever you say..."

* * *

**AN: **I really hope you guys don't hate me for updating so late! Next chapter's when the fun begins, heh. :)


	16. Padova

**AN:** I'm not going to lie... I totally forgot about this. The news from two weeks ago hit me and I was feeling all blah. Then I logged on FF at 2 in the morning and looked through the list of people who have this on alert and saw authors whose work I admire. That motivated me to attempt an update. I haven't written in months so I apologize beforehand if this chapter sucks.

* * *

**Padova**

"Mother fucking Evans," Troy whispered under his breath as he exited out of the car, slamming the door shut angrily.

The blonde stalked out of the car, deliberately slamming the car door as obnoxiously as possible.

Bailee, immune to the thick tension in the air, hopped out of the car gleefully before skipping down the cobblestone path.

Chad's eyes shifted from side to side as he scanned his surroundings. After the car ride, which consisted of Sharpay and Troy bickering and occasionally a threat or two from Sharpay to shove Chad out of the car like she failed to do when they were riding the Vespa, Chad wanted nothing more than to escape from this all and relax. The car ride, although barely lasting an hour, was already too much stress than he could handle.

Gabriella let out a sigh of relief once she stepped into the brisk summer air. She smiled in appreciation of the dry air which contrasted greatly from the mostly humid air of New York. The beauty of Italy never failed to stun her as she reminded herself of her luck.

"Hey Gabriella!" Bailee's youthful voice rang out, breaking her out of her thoughts. Bailee pointed to her floral print summer dress, "We match!"

Gabriella glanced down at her own floral dress that she bought from Urban Outfitters before her trip. She laughed at the realization. "You're right, we do!"

The light mood was ruined by a certain blonde's outburst.

"What the hell are we doing here? This isn't Milan!" Sharpay spat distastefully as she reached into her bag and pulled out a pocket mirror. Staring into her reflection, she carefully examined her skin, making sure that her foundation rested perfectly against her skin.

Troy took a deep breath before replying, attempting to calm himself before he blew up.

"Stopped for gas," He replied gruffly. "We're just going to walk through Padova unless you'd like to spend two more hours in the car without any exercise."

Sharpay huffed. "I see no point of being here. There aren't even, like, any tourists," Sharpay remarked as her brown eyes scanned the small town, noticing more locals than travelers.

"_Padua's_ hidden beneath the shadow of Venice," Troy stated. "If you want a taste of the true Italian life, then you might as well visit a city that's not populated with so many tourists."

"He's right, Sharpay. Wouldn't you like to see how people in Italy actually live?" Gabriella's eyes suddenly lit up in realization. "Oh, Padova! That was the town in the Taming of the Shrew! I remember reading about it freshman year. I quite liked that play..."

Troy looked in the brunette's direction over his shoulder, shooting her a sly smile. God, she was adorable when she rambled.

"Hey, wasn't that dumb ABC Family sitcom based off that?" Sharpay put in her minimal knowledge into the conversation. "I laughed when it got cancelled."

Troy blinked. Not knowing how to respond to Sharpay's comment, he made an attempt to divert the topic of conversation.

"So, my mom gave me this brochure with the top attractions in every city," Troy proclaimed, flipping through the pages to find Padova. Upon finally finding the correct page, he paused for a moment to skim through the brief description of the city and find things to do.

"It says here that Scrovegni's Chapel is highly recommended and sometimes no reservations in advance are necessary."

"Oh, perfect!" Gabriella exclaimed, failing to hide her excitement. "We can go check that out."

"Chapel?" Chad showed no effort to mask his disgust. "Dude, I thought we agreed on no religious sights or whatever."

"Chad, c'mon!" Bailee scurried over towards him, pulling him by by his jeans. "Just come with us! Who knows, maybe you'll actually enjoy it."

Chad groaned, wishing to have no part in this but knowing there was no way to get out of it.

* * *

After spending fifteen minutes in a dehumidifying room and watching a brief informative video on the chapel, the five finally entered the chapel. They eyed the frescoes that covered the chapel from the ceiling to the walls. The paintings of the lower tier depicted significant moments in the life of Christ. Paintings on the second and third tier depicted moments in the life of Mary. The drawings were so remarkable that even a non-Christian could enjoy looking at them.

They walked through the chapel, gazing at the masterpieces painted by Giotto in the fourteenth century. Gabriella observed the paintings with a sharp curiosity, admiring every stroke of the brush. Bailee followed suit, smiling in awe of the art. Troy walked behind them, seemingly more focused on watching Gabriella's changing expressions at the sight of every painting and the way she tilted her head to view each at a different angle.

Sharpay and Chad lagged behind, for the most uninterested. Chad glanced down at his watch every minute, counting the seconds until their view time had allotted. Neither of them was appreciative of the arts.

"I'm hungry," Chad voiced his thoughts rather loudly, earning the glares of several ardent art fanatics who desired silence as they stared at the paintings.

"I can't believe they made us go through a decontamination room," Sharpay said, scrunching up her nose in disgust. "What the fuck is up with that?"

She too received glares from several spectators... more likely than not for her use of foul language inside God's chapel.

"They do that in order to keep the chapel in good shape, Sharpay." Gabriella answered her rhetorical question. She turned to Troy, sending him a shy smile which he reciprocated. "It's so amazing how they've managed to preserve this over the centuries, isn't it?"

Troy, too preoccupied with his own thoughts, merely nodded in agreement with her statement.

"Look, look!" Bailee squealed as she lifted her head to stare at the ceiling and pointed at it with her index finger. "The stars, the stars!"

Simultaneously, the five heads turned to the night sky painted upon the ceiling.

"_Damn_. Not gonna lie, that's actually pretty cool," Sharpay remarked before switching her attention to her manicured nails.

Chad seemed to be the only one who remained unimpressed, stuffing his hands into his backpack to pull a mysterious object out and quickly stuff it into the pocket of his hoodie. After their fifteen minutes of viewing time were over, the group was escorted out of the chapel and back onto the streets of Padova.

"I don't know bout you guys but I did _not_ enjoy that at all," Chad grumbled, his hands resting inside his hoodie.

Gabriella shot him a weak smile, "I guess chapels just don't hold that much interest to you, huh?"

"Nope," Chad shook his head, his neck turning to observe other places he could go to. "They certainly don't."

Bailee looked up at at Chad with a curious glance, noticing that he was wearing an oversized Collegiate sweatshirt. "Chad, aren't you gonna be hot in that? Shouldn't you take it off?"

Chad laughed nervously, shrugging his shoulders. It was only eleven in the morning so the temperature was rather mild; however, once noon struck it would surge into the high 80s.

"Hey guys, I think I'm gonna take a walk," Chad announced, awkwardly stuffing his hands from his hoodie into the pockets of his baggy jeans. Troy, Gabriella, and Sharpay turned toward him with suspicious glances, wondering what he was up to.

"Chad, where exactly are you going?" Troy cocked an eyebrow. "You don't know your way around here and I'd rather not spend hours looking for you when we're ready to leave."

The creases upon Chad's forehead became more apparent as he grew more uncomfortable. Beads of perspiration appeared upon his forehead.

"Relax, I'm just gonna go look for a shop that will let me use their bathroom," Chad chuckled nervously, swaying on his own two feet in an attempt to convince them that he really needed to pee. "I have my phone and don't you worry, I remembered to charge it this time. I promise you won't have to go looking for me."

The blonde eyed him with curiosity. Her acute senses told her that peeing wasn't the only thing Danforth was up to. Judging by his nervousness, he had an ulterior motive for 'taking a walk'. Intrigued, Sharpay bit her lip as he eyed him and attempted to figure out his intentions.

Sighing heavily, Troy glanced quickly at Gabriella who had an equally skeptical look upon her pretty face. Shrugging his shoulders, he finally obliged to Chad's request.

"Go ahead," Troy responded, his mind already forming assumptions about what Chad was going to do. He was not entirely dense; he had a nice whiff of the herb Chad carried with him on the airplane. Troy recalled shaking his head at Chad's stupidity, praying that the turn of events did not end up like that in _Harold and Kumar_, one of Chad's favorite movies.

Bidding them all farewell, Chad made a U-turn and headed toward a narrow street that resembled an alley. Once Chad was about twenty feet away, Sharpay made up a lame excuse to follow him.

"I think I really need to pee too," Sharpay remarked, waving to Troy, Gabriella, and Bailee. "Text me Gabs!"

With that, the blonde twirled around and maneuvered her way toward the direction Chad headed. Gabriella shot her friend an incredulous look before rolling her eyes and shaking her head.

Gabriella leaned down, brushing her forearm against Troy's before whispering, "They are _so_ not going in search of a bathroom."

Troy grinned wryly, chuckling. Shrugging his shoulders, he focused his attention back onto Gabriella and smiled brightly at her. Nudging her shoulder with his, he whispered back, "I personally don't mind at all. Gives me an excuse to spend time with you."

Gabriella giggled as a red flush appeared upon her face. She cast her eyes shyly down upon her sandal clad feet as if she was a thirteen year old girl again in the presence of her first crush.

Bailee cleared her throat, earning their attention. Once both teenagers looked upon her, Bailee smiled sweetly, clasping both her hands behind her back.

"Troy, can I look at the brochure?" Bailee asked in a saccharine tone. Troy nodded with a smile and handed it to her.

"_Grazie_, Troy!" Bailee exclaimed, flipping through the pages rapidly with intrigue. Gabriella observed the young girl who exhibited a curiosity that reminded Gabriella of herself at that age.

'Hey, what's this?" Bailee's eyes widened with wonder as she stared at a picture of a large circular centre. Squinting her eyes, she read the words off the page, "_Prato della Valle_. Guys, it looks like a giant peace sign!"

She animatedly skipped over towards Troy and Gabriella, pointing towards the picture in the brochure, "Can we go here?"

Troy stared at the photograph thoughtfully. It certainly looked nice in the brochure. He flipped the page to look at the map, searching for their current location and the location of Prato della Valle.

Turning to Gabriella, he consulted her before answering, "What do you think, Brearley? Should we even bother to wait for Chad and Sharpay?"

Gabriella bit her lip nervously at the sound of the nickname he picked up for her. Although her nerves were running wild, she willed herself to remain composed and answered him calmly, "I'm sure they're rather _busy_ at the moment. Don't worry, they'll show up some way or another. I think we should definitely go and check it out."

"Yes!" Bailee shot her fist in the air triumphantly, hopping up and down in growing excitement. One hand grabbed Troy's and the other Gabriella's as she tugged them toward the direction of Prato della Valle. "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon let's go!"

"Whoa, Bailee, wrong direction," Troy laughed heartily, pulling on his cousin to stop. "Prato della Valle would be _that way_," He used his free hand to point in the opposite direction.

Bailee knit her brows in confusion before responding, "_Oh."_

Her calm and composed demeanor merely lasted a few seconds before the wide grin returned upon her face and she began pulling Troy and Gabriella towards the landmark.

"Hurry up and _move _it, you guys!" Bailee ordered in an authoritative manner, as if they would miss a plane or train if they did not rush.

"Hold up, Bails. What's the rush?" Troy thought aloud, wondering where his cousin's pent-up energy was coming from.

"I don't know!" Bailee answered truthfully, her eyes gleaming in a childlike manner as she discerned the landmark in the town center, "I'm just really happy."

Gabriella smiled at Bailee's innocence and excitement. She glanced at Troy, who had the same admiring smile tracing his features.

* * *

Never before in his life had Troy been more grateful for his best friend's bad habit than at this moment.

Troy strolled through the town square, which was surrounded by an oval-shaped canal with statues adorning both sides of the stream, alongside Gabriella. The two had fallen into a comfortable silence as they walked down the pavement. Gabriella was busy admiring the scenery and watching Bailee prance down the streets on her tippy-toes, practicing her side-leap that she learned through ballet classes. Troy had been caught up in his own thoughts, battling his own nerves as he wondered how to start a conversation. Normally, he'd have no problem talking to girls but with Gabriella, he was never quite sure where to start. Luckily, he didn't need to take the initiative this time since Gabriella had just made a passing remark.

"Your cousin is so adorable, Troy. Look at her dancing through the streets without a single care in the world. God, I remember myself at that age…"

Troy's lips formed into a slight smile as he observed Bailee perform several Chaînés turns, oblivious to the fact that the eyes of several pedestrians were on her. "Seems like everything's simpler when you're a child," He remarked.

Gabriella nodded to his statement, smiling widely."It really is," She responded with a whisper as they locked eyes. He looked at her with an intense gaze and it was killing her. Throughout the day, he kept things platonic between them in order to avoid questioning from Sharpay and Chad. Now that they were finally alone, with the exception of his younger cousin, he still seemed reluctant to touch her and it was killing her. What exactly_ were_ they? Where did they stand after making out by the beach in Jesolo and stealing shy kisses throughout the week when they thought they weren't being watched. And now with his stare and the expression upon his face which she could not decipher, she wished more than ever that she could read his thoughts.

"Tell me what you're thinking," She whispered just barely loud enough for him to hear. Troy was overcome with the feeling of déjà-vu when he thought back to the night by the shore a few weeks ago when he repeated those same words to her.

With his eyes glued onto hers, he bit his lower lip out of nervousness before responding to her question."I'm thinking about how much I want to kiss you right now," He admitted with a husky whisper, his hand slipping past her waist in search of her hand. When his hand finally reached hers, he intertwined his hand with hers and let it swing freely back and forth.

Gabriella opened her mouth but hesitated to respond. After a few seconds, she finally mustered up the courage to encourage him to do so, "Then why don't you?" She rested her intent gaze upon him, noticing how he pursed his lips before releasing a heavy sigh.

His hand reached down to brush a strand of her hair behind her ear before leaning down and whispering, "As much as I want to, you know I can't… not with Bailee a few steps ahead."

Gabriella swallowed the gulp that formed in her throat as she tried to rid herself of the nervousness she felt every time he was near. This isn't normal, she reminded herself. She had never been so nervous around a guy before in her life. Why was his presence making her so tense?

Deciding she needed to break contact with him before she completely lost it, she untwined her fingers from his and pulled her hand away. Troy's features contorted into a confused frown as she turned her back on him.

"Gabriella?"

"Is this how it's going to be like all summer?" She snapped.

Troy blinked, slightly taken aback at the change in her tone."Um, I don't really – I, uh, what are you talking about-"

She narrowed her eyes. "You know what I'm talking about, _Collegiate boy_. Don't pretend like you don't."

Releasing a deep breath, Troy scratched the back of his neck awkwardly."I mean, do you _want _them to kill us?" He said, referring to Chad and Sharpay. Well, mostly Sharpay.

Gabriella shook her head before sighing. She turned to look at Troy, hoping that the hurt was not visible in her eyes. "What _are_ we, Troy?"

"We're… we're whatever you want us to be."

She raised an eyebrow curiously. "What do _you_ want us to be?"

He furrowed his brows. "I don't really know."

Gabriella felt her heart sink. That certainly was not the response she was fishing for. Neither of them knew what they were or what they wanted. And to top it all off, they were hiding whatever it is that they are from their best friends. This couldn't be more of a mess, Gabriella thought to herself.

"You know, how about I let you think about what it is that you actually want, Troy."

Gabriella reached into her clutch, pulling out her cell phone. Instinctively, she did what her best friend told her to and sent her a text.

"I think I'm going to catch up with Sharpay," Gabriella said, avoiding his stare as her eyes remained glued on her phone.

"I'll see you later."

With that, she swiveled back in the direction they had come from.

Troy stared at her retreating figure, his mouth agape. _What did I say to upset her,_ Troy thought to himself as he frowned.

* * *

**AN: **I realize this chapter sucks and most likely has a ton of grammar errors. Sorry if anyone's disappointed :( I promise I'll go back and edit it.


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